Murder of 3 men relating to sorcery confirmed

By ZACHERY PER
Three men were butchered in a sorcery accusation based violence case in Goroka last month, provincial police commander David Seine Jr confirmed yesterday.
He condemned the triple murders as well as the action of bystanders in not doing anything to stop them.
Seine said Payake Omino, 50, of Ayafaufa village, and Kelvin Gohuse, 58, and Yopowo Gohuse, 30, of Fimito village outside Goroka were killed.
He also condemned the attempted murder of Fororo Omino, 38, of Ayafaufa and urged suspects to voluntarily surrender to police.
Seine said in March, a 60-year-old man identified as Andrew Lelemitoe from Oyafayufa, was sick and admitted to Goroka Provincial Hospital and later referred to Kundiawa General Hospital but he died.
He said as the villagers were erecting the haus krai (mourning house) at Oyafayufa on April 24, a group of men armed with axes, bush knives and guns attacked them.
Seine said 23 men armed with bush knives grabbed hold of three men, whom they accused of killing Lelemitoe through sorcery, chopped them into pieces and put them into coffee bags. He said the bags were loaded onto a 15 seater bus, taken to Kamaliki River and dumped.
Seine said on May 17, two prime suspects Ovio Lelemitoe and Mitoe Seva, were arrested and charged on six counts of wilful murder and two counts of attempted murder.