Arop
By Emmanuel Michael Garjiek
Police in Majok Yinhthiou Municipal Council, Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State, are investigating two local officials who got into a physical brawl over a land dispute on Sunday, according to a local official.
Majok Yinhthiou Municipal Council Mayor Andrea Lual Akok confirmed to Radio Tamazuj on Monday that a surveyor and a community member were detained and later released by police, while investigations continue.
“I heard yesterday (Sunday) evening that the two clashed in the market. “They were apprehended by police, and investigations are ongoing,” the mayor stated.
According to a local source, the mayor has organised a commission to investigate charges of land grabs at Majok Market.
According to the source, the committee found 70 irregular land allotments. However, land management officials allegedly attempted to sway committee members by offering them five plots, which some declined, resulting in the altercation.
The source further stated that several plots remained unallocated, and people suspected a top survey official of fraudulently selling open lands. These charges spurred the mayor to form an investigating commission.
The accused land official refuted the allegations, claiming he was defending a widow whose land had been confiscated.
“There was a problem between someone and me because he registered a shop land under his brother’s name, even though the shop was owned by the late Maduok Dau. When I questioned him and his brother, he rejected my request and began taking photos of us with his phone. I told him not to do that, and when he refused, I snatched the phone. He then fought me until the police intervened,” the official explained.
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