CS boss told to give report of assault

By TREVOR WAHUNE
A JUDGE has ordered Bomana acting jail commander Supt Yelly Oiufa to immediately investigate allegations of Correctional Services personnel assaulting 59 remandees in prison on Monday night.
Justice Panuel Mogish, in the Waigani National Court yesterday, ordered Oiufa to present a report on the incident to his court by Tuesday for a directions hearing.
The orders to Oiufa were made after the court had summoned him to appear to answer to the allegations levelled against some of his staff.
“This is because I noticed injuries on some of these remandees in court after the allegations were said to have happened on Monday at 10pm,” Mogish said.
“These are very serious allegations.”
Oiufa, in response to questions asked why his officers had assaulted the remandees, said: “It was alleged that a remandee in block A1, at the time needed medical attention, and a CS officer was assigned to go look for a health officer.
“We had only four officers on duty that night.
“While the officer assigned to go and call the medical officer was gone, the remandees in block A1 allegedly started shouting and swearing at the CS duty officers.
“It was also alleged that after block A1 started the shouting, block A2, A3, A4, and A5 joined in the shouting and swearing of our four officers.
“This allegedly provoked the alleged assault of remandees in the five blocks,” Oiyufa said.
He said his CS officers normally do not get treated like this by those sentenced.