Senior Lands officer killed in compo meet

A SENIOR lands officer was brutally murdered on Sunday afternoon when a peace mediation ceremony at the Gerehu sports oval turned nasty, the National Capital District metropolitan command confirmed yesterday.
Through reports from the Gerehu police station, there was a compensation negotiation going on between Engans and East Sepiks between 3pm and 4pm that afternoon.
Police said the mediation was over a hit-and-run accident last year in which a Sepik woman was hit by a vehicle driven by an Engan man.
Police could not confirm the accident which occurred last year as it was never reported to police and no details of victims and suspects could be obtained.
In light of this, police have condemned any peace mediation and compensation proceedings in public places around the city that police are not aware of.
Police said this style of compensation amongst clans in the city must stop.
The man, who was killed over the weekend, was a senior staff with the Lands Department and was alleged to have been chopped to death with knives and axes by his attackers.
Meanwhile, Lands and Physical Planning secretary Pepi Kimas yesterday condemned the killing and called on police to arrest the suspects.