Hacked to death

By REBECCA KUKU
A 70-YEAR-old woman from Kerema’s Kaintiba was hacked to death with a bush knife in what is believed to be Gulf’s first Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV) case against women.
Matayalio Taikam, from Yoko village, was slashed across the face just below the nose and around the neck for allegedly using sorcery to “eat the heart” of a four-year-old girl who died earlier this week.
Provincial commander Chief Inspector Jeffery Lemb told The National that the four-year-old went home on Monday afternoon complaining of a stomach ache, and died that evening.
“The old woman was then accused of “eating her heart” and causing her death. She was attacked by a male relative of the little girl, but the suspect is known and is in police custody in Kaintiba and will be transferred to Kerema to be processed and formally charged with wilful murder,” he said.
Kaintiba is about 59km north of Kerema town.
Kerema MP Thomas Opa condemned the barbaric and gruesome murder of the old woman, saying that the district development authority will work closely with police to convict the perpetrator.
“We will send a clear message that those who commit such crimes must be punished by law so that it sends a clear message to would-be offenders in the future,” he said.
Opa said that this was something that did not happen in Gulf.
“We protect and respect our womenfolk in the province, and this is something you read about in the newspapers happening in other parts of the country,” he said.
“This old woman was a sister, a mother, a beloved grandmother. The alleged perpetrator’s identity is known.
“We will not tolerate such heinous crimes committed in the pretext of blaming innocent people, especially our old and vulnerable individuals of the community, for sorcery.”