A former gang member who has lived on the streets for two years in Aweil in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, says he wants to be a police officer to fight crimes after reforming.

Emmanuel Akok, not his real name says his alcoholic father forced him to go and live on the streets of Juba.

The 19-year-old from Aweil town in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State says initially he lived with his parents but eventually found life difficult after the passing on of his mother.

So, Akok, left his father’s house when he was 15 after the passing on of his mother and found himself in the street of Aweil town.

He got involved in the smoking of harmful substances that made him and his friends forget about their family problems.

Akok says, life was difficult on the street but harmful substances made them look like people who never bothered.

In South Sudan, members of the public have often raised concerns about the activities of niggers in Juba, which they say is making life difficult for them.

Many people reportedly got macheted and sustained injuries as a result of their activities.

Last year, the police in Juba launched a crackdown on the niggers and eventually arrested dozens of them with their weapons.

Akok currently lives as a reformed man at Heavenly Nature Ministry in Juba.

He narrates to Eye Radio how he moved to the street.

“When I was young, my life was good but when I lost my mother, the situation changed because my father whom I was living with changed and started drinking alcohol. So, I left him and joined the street life,” said Akok.

“I lived in the street for a long with some friends and brothers and we shared with them together,” he said.

“When I got to the street, I was 15 years old, our life was hard but sometimes we were involved in dangerous drugs that was why we never bothered.

“We took the wrong drugs some people do. Now some of my brothers on the street take drugs that’s why they live life like that”.

Like any other person, one would be wondering how on earth a street child would move from Aweil to Juba.

But the answer is that Jok worked in a restaurant, and he was paid SSP 2,000 daily which made him make some savings to help him pay for the transport to Juba.

“I was working there and saved some money. So, I was hearing from some friends that Juba is good. I was working in a restaurant washing utensils and they were paying me SSP 2,000 daily,” he explained.

“I would keep SSP 1,000 and spoil the rest of the money. When it was enough to pay for transport, I came to Juba”.

But how did he survive on the street of Juba where he knew no one? I asked this question to Jok.

In response, he said he eventually got involved in the activities of the niggers like chasing and cutting people with machetes and other harmful objects in Juba.

“I came (to Juba), I was hungry and saw people eating in a restaurant, so I sat there and waited but the meal was not finishing faster. So, I stood up and asked then they gave me food and I ate,” he said.

“I met some children who used to come there (to the restaurant) and I decided to join them. I was young at that time, it was only when I grew up that I learned how to cut a person.”

“At that time, my only attention was on food and other things. When we were there, there were people we injured. There were some boys, niggers in another place.”

“There was a party and then they insulted us, so, we also raised our heads and showed them that we are strong, so we fought with them. We could only attack the person who comes drunk and insults us that is where they can injure some of us.

“We used to smoke Bangi, drinking alcohol and smoking panadol and that confused our minds to the extent that you could even harm your brother and you never even bother, you would think that is an animal. Sometimes we used panga, bricks even bottles and others”.

What benefit do niggers in Juba get from their behaviours? Jok said: “We used to get money from collecting and selling metals and plastic bottles and sometimes collect rubbish from certain areas in the market.”

“Sometimes we rob people, and sometimes if there is something locked, we cut using scissors and steal the money. We were once apprehended but we denied that is why we were freed”.

In addition to that, Jok says, they were also involved in the collection of empty plastic bottles and metallic objects to sell.

He was sleeping along the shop corridors and verandas throughout his life on the street.

But he eventually changed and got transformed after a Pastor approached them to preach them the word of God and told them that whatever activity they were doing was not helpful.

“We could sometimes steal, sometimes we collect empty plastic bottles, sell them to buy drugs and use it to pass time so that we forget that we have families.”

“We used to sleep in the shops but when we were taking drugs, we did not think. We were just taking them without any benefit but when the Pastor came to us to speak to us about the dangers of such, we followed his advice and came to Church,” he said.

“I was in the group of Niggers Hood Boys, we were cutting people, we joined and we were getting money. We could go to parties; we meet ladies that was why we found that life better”.

He is now encouraging his fellows to cease the nigger-related practices and embark on productive activities.

Jok says, he is now pursuing education and wants to become a policeman to help bring to an end niggers’ meniac in the country.

“I lived (in the street) for two years but I came to hear about the Church and some friends told me about it too, so I decided to follow them. When I came from there, I realized what I was doing would please God.,” Akok said.

“Now I have come to know that there is God who is bigger than me because that time, my mind was only full of anger and insults,” he said.

“Now, I know I am different from my other brothers who are still in the practice and for that, I now tell them to cease such activities, let us leave them because those things waste our time.”

“Some people will grow old without achieving something in life, cutting people and spoiling girls is not helping. I am now in school at primary six and in future, I want to become a police officer so that I can help bring an end to criminal activities”.