File Photo; Elegu entry point/Eye Radio

Police at the border town of Nimule have arrested five truck drivers for reportedly smuggling people into the country over the weekend.

On March 20th, the task force on the coronavirus pandemic issued an order closing all the border points and banning vehicles from transporting people from the coronavirus affected countries.

However, CID officers caught the suspects, carrying travelers on their trucks on Saturday.

They are identified as Alone Sasi, Alaan-Nasur, Okun Juma, Batal Rashid – all of whom are Ugandan nationals. The fifth suspect has been reportedly released.

“I confirm to you that the five trucks were arrested on Saturday by the CID and border police and they were brought here that they violated the orders of the president on the borders which were closed since 20th of last month and those trucks seem to be going to Elegu and back to Nimule,” the Chief Inspector of Police in Nimule, Mbiko Barakat told Eye Radio on Sunday.

He says the drivers will be arraigned in court today.

For his part, the Head of the Tiger, who is also in charge of the security and the border town, said drivers have been smuggling travelers who pretend to be turn boys:

“There is the smuggling of people from here (Nimule) taken to Juba,” Major General Akol Amet said.

“The government directed that a driver who comes from Kampala will only come with a turn boy or a helper and when the trucks return, they only return with one person who is only the driver this is another way they use for smuggling those who are not wanted into the country in the name of turn boy. This is is another alternative the people do not know.”

On Wednesday last week, more than 20 people reportedly escaped from a hotel which is being used as an isolation facility in Nimule.

The Fourth Division of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces told Eye Radio last week that was investigating allegations that its officers at border points were aiding illegal border crossings between South Sudan and Uganda.