Boda-boda riders in the Western Equatoria State capital, Yambio, on Monday held a joint prayer service for their colleague, Timangi John, 28, who has been missing since 30 May 2026.
The emotional gathering brought together boda-boda riders, family members, friends, religious leaders, and community members who prayed for Timangi’s safe return while urging authorities to intensify efforts to establish his whereabouts.
Timangi has been operating in Yambio’s State Park area and has now been missing for more than three weeks.
Speaking during the prayer service, Christopher Alfred Badumosa, chairperson of the Yambio Boda-Boda Association, said they organized the prayers in partnership with various churches to seek divine intervention.
“We are holding joint prayers with different churches following the disappearance of our colleague. We are deeply concerned and are calling for urgent action to establish his whereabouts,” he said. “We need to show that boda-boda riders are an important part of this state and deserve to be treated with respect. Any complaint against a rider should be handled through the association so that it is resolved properly and peacefully.”
For his part, Boroyo Song, the deputy chairperson of the association, urged the riders to remain united and cooperate with authorities during the ongoing investigation.
“We have faced many challenges, and we are urging our members to remain united and work closely with the government,” he stated. “It is now over two weeks without clear information about our colleague, and we are still hoping for answers.”
Addressing the gathering, Yambio County Commissioner Angelo Bakote assured the riders that security agencies were actively investigating the case.
“The law will take its course. Three suspects are currently in detention and are being questioned, while security forces continue to search for other individuals linked to the case,” he said. “We encourage anyone with information to come forward and assist with the investigation.”
Meanwhile, Wanaga Emmanuel, the chairperson of the Civil Society Network in Western Equatoria State, expressed solidarity with the boda-boda community and Timangi’s family.
“We stand together with the boda-boda association, the family, and the people of Western Equatoria State in praying and searching for our missing brother,” he said. “We urge the government to continue its efforts to find him and bring answers to his family.”
He commended security authorities for the arrests already made and called on all stakeholders to handle the matter responsibly and within the law. He urged citizens to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights, while appealing to anyone with information about the case to cooperate with investigators.
“If those responsible know anything about the whereabouts of the victim, they should provide truthful information so that the family can know what happened and find closure,” Wamaga said.
and then