Police raid village
The National, Monday January 6th, 2014
By ROSELYN ELLISON
KOKI villagers in Nuku district, West Sepik, are calling on Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga to investigate why officers from the Wewak Police Station in East Sepik raided the village.
Palai local level government president Alex Yali and district administration officers reported that the armed officers arrived at the village with 30 youths on Nov 23.
Yali believed that the police raid could have arisen from an earlier traffic incident involving a local businessman.
“However, this issue went out of hand as the complainants (from the village) asked police from Wewak to do the raid, which is very unlawful,” Yali said.
Yali said two villagers were badly beaten and one suffered knife wounds on his back. They were treated at the Nuku Health Centre.
Three homes were burnt as well.
A district-owned vehicle was damaged while some contracted operators were beaten up. Yali said other actions taken by the policemen and ESP youths included the stoning of public servants’ houses and local business properties.
A letter of complaint has been sent to Kulunga and copied to provincial police commanders in West Sepik and East Sepik, Nuku MP Joe Sungi and the Nuku police station commander.
A police source said Kulunga was aware of the incident and had instructed the police investigating unit to take up the matter.