Police officers held up by gunmen in Mt Hagen

SEVEN police officers called up for duty in Mt Hagen during the mass breakout at Baisu Jail yesterday were held up by a group of gunmen who took all the ammunitions they had.
The gunmen were believed to be from one of the two warring tribes Kimka or Rolgoka.
Constable Jonathan Rami said they were called up after the prison breakout at Baisu. They were to be based at Dirty Wara in nearby Dei which was one of the routes used by escapees. After crossing the Gumanch Bridge, they were stopped by men armed with guns.
Rami said they were helpless as they were outnumbered.
“They took our (seven) guns and emptied all cartridges,” he said.
Rami said the gunmen told them that they were angry because some warlords in Mt Hagen had been using the city as their “battle field”.
He said the gunmen wanted Governor Paias Wingti, Dei MP Wesley Nukundi and police to stop the fighting in Mt Hagen.
“After expressing their frustration, they released us with the guns and we returned to Mt Hagen,” Rami said. Acting provincial police commander Chief Insp David Kongua condemned the actions of people who did not respect the law.