Gudele residential area in Juba. (Photo: File/Courtesy).

Several members of the Gudele West Quarter Council in Juba said they have been avoiding their homes in fear of being arrested by the police after they were accused of illegal plots selling.

Residents of the Juba Nabari (Tongping) residential area claimed the quarter council has been involved in selling community land.

The Council Chairperson Safana Sebit said four of his staff were arrested on Friday from the office, and were held at Gudele Kuburi-Habuba Police Station.

He said the unnamed four men and a woman were released the following day after the Quarter Council took to the police office their legal documents that authorized them to operate.

“They came to the offices when some offices were locked, they say you are illegal body selling the plots. They came with their police on the ground then took these people. They are still looking for us, especially me,” Sebit said in an interview with Eye Radio.

“When we went to the police station, we explained and provided our legal document as quarter council then they release these guys. They told us to come back the next day but the officers precautioned us to be careful of arrest with the warrant of arrest which has been issued.”

Sebit added: “We even left our houses and went to our brothers’ houses.”

On his part, Julia Philip Bony, the Deputy Coordinator at the Quarter Council expressed disappointment over the alleged arrest of their members.

He appealed to Central Equatoria State Local Government Ministry to intervene to solve the matter which has left them in fear of being arrested anytime again.

“I’m still not happy because if they fail to get us during the day time then maybe night they will. Are we not South Sudanese, don’t we have constitutional rights?”

“If it is so then, we should be told. We are not criminals that can be traced and arrested meanwhile we have the authority which our arrest should be channeled through them.”

Commenting on the matter, Central Equatoria Minister of Local Government Leon Abe Brown confirmed the land-related dispute and said details were yet to be submitted to his office.

He directed the Juba County government and Luri Payam administration to intervene and address the factors behind the land wrangle.

“The details are not yet there. I called the authority over three to four days to find out. I call the commissioner and directed him to find out what is going on.”

Several calls to the office of the County Commissioner went unanswered. Meanwhile, the Payam Administrator said he was not very well aware about the matter.