National Prisons Service denies killing inmate

The National Prisons Service has refuted media reports that prison warders killed an inmate in Yei River County, Central Equatoria State.

Some local media reported that four guards had beaten Robert Bida, 20, who later died inside the cell on Monday, and the suspects were under investigation.

It then claimed that the post-mortem by the medical personnel at Yei hospital confirmed that the deceased died due to injuries he sustained from torture.

The Spokesperson of the National Prisons Service, Maj. Gen. Anthony Oliver Legge confirmed the death of the inmate but said he was not beaten as reported by some media.

Oliver explained that the inmate who was a recidivist escaped in 2021 and was later captured. He was recently brought back to the prison, where he fell sick and died after being taken to the hospital for treatment.

“The report is not true. The investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of his death, so we cannot now tell what killed the inmate, ” said Oliver said.

Speaking to The City Review on Friday, Oliver said it was premature to conclude that the deceased was beaten to death as the investigation committee was yet to establish the cause of his death.

The Inspector of Police in Yei River County, Brig. Sabino Dominic Tobo said the police have commenced an investigation into the matter and would make public the outcome as soon as they complete the process.

“We received the information, and we are now trying out what is the cause of his death for justice to prevail. The preliminary report from the doctor shows that he had sustained some injuries that could be the possible cause of his death, but that is not yet confirmed, ” Dominic said.

However, Dominic neither confirmed nor denied holding four prison guards behind bars for investigation, promising the result of the investigation would be revealed very soon.

If confirmed true, this will mark the first of its kind since the independence of South Sudan.