ENB police kills wanted escapee

A WANTED criminal who escaped from the Kerevat prison in East New Britain earlier this year was killed by the police at his Nordup village on Thursday.
East New Britain police commander Chief Insp Joseph Tabali told The National that the deceased, David Bani, had been serving a 40-year sentence for murder when he escaped.
Tabali said while on the run, Bani had committed a series of crimes including armed robbery, being in possession of an illegal firearm, depriving of liberty of two women that he took away with him on different days, and had been a threat to his community.
Tabali said police had appealed for Bani’s surrender on several occasions but he had not responded compelling the police search for him.
“On Wednesday my police officers got a tip off that he was at his village at Nordup so they went but he left so they withdrew back and then on Thursday he started threatening and terrorising those villagers who had given information to the police,” he said.
“He burnt down a house and damaged three others. He also fired four shots so a villager who fled to a neighbouring village in fear.”
Tabali said the police were alerted and proceeded to the village where on arrival they were confronted by the deceased who was armed with a bush knife and the home made gun.
Bani was alleged to have attacked an officer prompting police to shoot and kill him.
The body of the deceased is now at the Nonga hospital morgue awaiting an investigation into his crimes as well as his shooting.
Tabali called on relatives and community leaders to work with the police by providing information on the 16 remaining prisoners who had escaped from Kerevat since 2016.
Tabali said there were 41, who escaped and 24 had been recaptured and Bani, the 25th one, had been shot on Thursday.
He said the police would still look for the others and urged them to surrender willingly to the police.