A man identified as Khamis Samuel Justin, in his 30s, has been reported missing and is feared to have been kidnapped in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, his family said on Friday.
Khamis’s brother, Thomas Justin, told Radio Tamazuj that Khamis disappeared on Thursday after visiting several locations in the city, including a bank where he withdrew money.
“I went to school and left him at home. Around eight in the morning, he went to the bank to withdraw some money,” Thomas said. “He later visited our sister and then our uncle.”
Thomas said their uncle confirmed that Khamis visited him at about midday and mentioned he was heading to the Custom area to withdraw more cash from the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).
“But we did not hear from him again until around 2 p.m., when I received a message,” he said.
According to the family, a text message was sent from Khamis’s phone to one of his colleagues, stating he had been taken to an unknown location.
“The colleague tried to call back, but the phone was off,” Thomas said.
The family said they reported the disappearance to several police stations in Juba, including Konyokonyo and Malakia, but no information about his whereabouts has emerged.
“We wrote a statement and are waiting for approval from the magistrate so that we can ask MTN to help trace where the message was sent from,” Thomas said.
He described his brother as a responsible father and a dedicated professional. “It is very painful. He has children. He has a career and works hard to support his family,” he said.
Authorities have not yet commented on the incident.