Bid for 18 Enga men withdrawn

A BAIL application for 18 men who were arrested last Thursday for alleged possession of weapons in close proximity to police headquarters in Port Moresby, was withdrawn at a Committal Court yesterday.
The application for the men was mentioned before Magistrate Paul Puri Nii for hearing and their lawyers asked the court to withdraw it because it was before the wrong court.
Lawyer Laken Aigilo said the 18 men were charged with offences under the Summary Offences Act and their application should be made in the summary court and not in the committal court.
Magistrate Nii then granted withdrawal of the application.
The 18 men were charged with having in their possession weapons without lawful excuse under section 12(1) of the Summary Offences Act and with using threatening behaviour in whereby a breach of peace was likely to take place pursuant to section seven (a) of the Summary Offences Act.
The 18 men, who were caught by the police at the police headquarters in Konedobu, National Capital District, last Thursday, allegedly had in their possession bush knives and a gun.
Upon questioning them why they were there with vehicles and with the weapons, they responded that they were there to see their “brother” who was arrested by the police earlier that day.
The “brother” and the 18 men were from Tsak Valley in Wapenamanda, Enga, where about 50 men were massacred last month in a tribal fight.
Meanwhile, Aigilo informed the court that he would be making another bail application today for four other suspects, also from the same area in Enga that were arrested and detained in police custody for unlawful wounding.