Security firm wants community to hand over suspects

 By JUNIOR UKAHA

THE Menyamya-Morobe Security Services ((MMSS) has advised the Bumayong community, in Lae, to surrender to police people involved in the shooting of its operations manager.

The company’s operation manager Steven Simeon, 29, was shot twice in the head by a group of men believed to be from Bumayong. 

Simeon, 29, from Katenga village, Menyamya, Morobe, was heading to town after a business trip to the Bumayong Lutheran Secondary School. 

MMSS chairman Petrus Patrick said an innocent life had been lost and Bumayong residents should bring those responsible forward.

“The shooting happened in their community and they knew who did it,” Patrick said.  

Police could not be reached for comment yesterday. 

But Lae police chief Iven Lakatani had said earlier he had warned the company guards not to take the law into their own hands but work with police to find those involved.

“I told them not to take the law into their own hands,” he said. 

“Innocent people will be affected and they have been told to cooperate with police and use their networks to get the suspects.”

Police from the metropolitan command have been dispatched into the Bumayong area to prevent the situation from escalating. 

Some people residing near where the shooting took place have fled in fear for their lives.

About 100 MMSS guards armed with bows, arrows, bush knives and axes gathered at the Tapiok Market in Bumayong yesterday.