Enga Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Chief Superintendent Steven Harris has appealed to members of the Makol and Makol Tap communities to remain calm and allow the law to take its course following the deaths of three people in Laiagam over the weekend.
Chief Superintendent Harris said police are treating the matter with the utmost seriousness and have commenced investigations into the incidents.
According to police reports, a dispute allegedly broke out during a “bel kol” compensation exchange ceremony in the Laiagam area on Saturday, June 6, involving members of the Makol and Makol Tap/Yengulam clans.
Police allege that intoxicated individuals interfered with the compensation exchange, resulting in the receiving party refusing to accept the compensation and withdrawing from the gathering.
It is further alleged that while returning home, members of the withdrawing group opened fire, resulting in the deaths of two people.
Police also allege that a retaliatory attack occurred on Sunday, June 7, during which a young boy was killed while attending school in the Laiagam area.
Chief Superintendent Harris said the three victims were innocent people who were not responsible for the dispute.
“Three innocent lives were lost, and they are bystanders to a dispute they did not cause,” he said.
He urged all parties involved to refrain from further violence and allow police to investigate the matter.
“The people who have died were innocent and payback would only produce more innocent victims. It will not bring the dead back. It will not resolve the original dispute,” Harris said.
The Provincial Police Commander called on suspects involved in the killings to surrender themselves to police and urged community leaders to assist investigators.
“Police urge all suspects to surrender themselves to the nearest police post immediately and call on clan and community leaders to use their influence to bring perpetrators forward and preserve the peace,” he said.
Harris warned that anyone who takes the law into their own hands or obstructs the investigation will face legal consequences.
“I am directing all clan leaders and community members in the affected areas that there will be no further payback. Anyone who takes the law into their own hands will be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
He said police personnel remain deployed in the affected areas and investigations are continuing.
“Police patrols and checkpoints are established throughout the affected areas whilst police investigations are active and ongoing,” Harris said.
The Provincial Police Commander also appealed to members of the public with information relating to the killings to contact their nearest police station or the Enga Provincial Police Command.
Police investigations remain ongoing.
