VP Igga denies involvement in ex-Juba Mayor Kalisto Lado’s detention

JUBA – South Sudan’s Vice President James Wani Igga has denied allegations that his office was involved in the detention of former Juba Mayor Kalisto Lado, who was arrested by the National Security Service (NSS) in March.

Speaking on Saturday during a thanksgiving event for veteran politician Alfred Lado Gore, who recently returned from a medical mission abroad, Igga claimed there is evidence against Lado and offered to disclose a video containing the alleged proof.

“If you want to confirm the charges and the evidence that we found against him, we will present this evidence to you in a two-hour video,” Igga said.

“We spent two hours watching the video, so finally we were told to inform the Bari community that your son is being held by the government because he has committed a crime and we will produce him in court,” he added.

Lado was arrested at his home on March 31 by the NSS. The police were reportedly unaware of the arrest until Lado’s wife filed a case at a local police station in Juba on April 1, according to then police spokesman Daniel Justin.

“He is not being detained by the police service. I think he is being detained by the NSS, and his wife came and opened a case for the arrest of her husband. So, the people who are detaining him are not the police, they are the National Security Service,” Justin said at the time.

Following Lado’s detention, allegations emerged suggesting Igga orchestrated or facilitated the arrest as part of a broader political strategy against upcoming Equatorian politicians.

These claims, along with Lado’s detention, have raised concerns about potential government overreach and the misuse of power, serious accusations against any government official.