EHP locals attack police, licensing officers

A COMBINED  police and liquor licensing operation to curb illegal beer trading on the Eastern Highlands section of the Highlands Highway was attacked by villagers at Kol Wara, between Kainantu and Yonki, last Friday.
Eastern Highlands police commander Augustine Wampe yesterday confirmed Provincial Liquor Licensing Commissioner Peter Kabuino suffered a dislocated right shoulder and several policemen suffered serious body injuries.
He said the villagers smashed a police taskforce vehicle and a provincial government vehicle during the attack last Friday evening.
Supt Wampe said police had been on a routine operation with officers from the commission checking on illegal liquor trading when they were attacked.
He led a contingent of police, officers from the provincial government, Kainantu district administrator Ako Onise, LLG president of Agarabi and ward councillors to meet with leaders of Kol Wara village.
Wampe and the police demanded the villagers compensate the force for the damage caused.
“The villagers will compensate them as a deterrent to stop people from attacking police in future,” he said.
Wampe said the police did not take any retaliatory action despite it being the “third or fourth time villagers had attacked the police”.
The villagers admitted to attacking the officers and expressed remorse.
“If nothing is done to compensate for the attack, houses along a 20-metre corridor of the highway will be evicted,” Wampe said.