NSS training officer described as ‘excellent soldier’ dies in tragic accident

A senior official at the National Security Service says a training officer, described as an excellent soldier, has died in a road accident on Wednesday evening.

According to Deng Ajo, the Director of Administration at the National Security Service, Second Lieutenant Malek Makuach Akol died after the motorbike he was riding collided with another vehicle while returning from Luri at around 8 o’clock in the evening.

“It was a traffic accident that happened yesterday around 8:10 PM in Lemon Ghaba. They [Second Lieutenant Malek Makuach Akol and another officer] were coming from the Luri side, and a Toyota Regius, also coming from Luri, hit them while they were riding a motorcycle. He died at the hospital after we rushed him to Nile Kings Hospital for oxygen. His body is now at the funeral home on Bilpam Road,” he explained.

Ajo says Akol was rushed to hospital for treatment after the accident but died shortly after arrival.

Another officer, who was riding with Akol, has been admitted to hospital with injuries.

“The other officer, who was with him, has a broken leg and some wounds, but the injuries are not very serious. He is currently with me at Friendship Hospital near Panorama Hotel on Airport Road. We are now making arrangements, and we may take the body tomorrow to hand it over to his relatives for burial,” he added.

Ajo described the late Akol as a skilled trainer and a humble young man who earned respect among his colleagues for his dedication to duty.

He says arrangements are underway to transport his body to his family in Koch South Payam of Gogrial West County in Warrap State.

The news of Officer Akol’s passing has drawn emotional reactions and mourning among his colleagues and friends on social media.

Businessman Bol Kerbino Kuanyin, also known as Bol Abuk, said the late Akol was a committed soldier and a strong leader, in a statement posted on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, singer Achuei Deng Ajiing, who is also a soldier, described Akol as a marine and remembered him for training her when she joined the army.

Football activist Albino Kuek, a friend of the late officer, eulogised him as a professional soldier, a perfect shooter, and an excellent trainer.