Police Detain Five Worshipers in Juba
Sunday morning worship turned tense in Nyakuron Deanery after Reverend Gibson Ali Oba reportedly locked St. Paul Church and asked police to detain five signatories of a letter seeking his removal (Eye Radio, 21 September 2025).
Congregation Challenges Leadership at St. Paul Parish
Lay leader Joseph January Godwill said the congregation arrived to find chains on the doors, forcing them to hold prayers under the open sky while officers held their fellow believers at Mauna Police Station for questioning.
Pastor’s Silence Fuels Community Concern
Godwill added that multiple petitions to the Anglican Primate requesting new leadership have gone unanswered, deepening frustration among Moru parishioners who financed the building and now worry that prolonged stalemate could split a once-vibrant fellowship.
Implications for Faith and Social Cohesion in South Sudan
Neither Reverend Oba nor local police offered comment, leaving observers to debate whether civil mediation or higher ecclesiastical intervention can restore trust in a context where religious institutions often anchor social stability during South Sudan’s delicate nation-building process.