Soldier to stand trial

A SOLDIER from Enga will stand trial for allegedly murdering a man two years ago.
Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika ruled yesterday that there was sufficient evidence to try Becko John Naipao, 38, when rejecting a no-case submission.
“The accused was with the deceased before he was found dead with stab wounds.
“Who killed him?
“No-one seems to know.
“There is no one but this accused who might know, so I find that he  has a case to answer,” Salika said.
Naipao had admitted to the court that the deceased, George Kolap, was with him and another man Robert Waikale (who has since not come out to give evidence) and they had been drinking prior to him being found dead with knife wounds to his body on May 24, 2008.
He told the court he had no knowledge of who and how Kolap was killed.
Naipao  said he was asleep on the seat opposite the driver’s seat and Waikale, who had reversed into another vehicle.
The sound of a loud bang woke him up.
Upon seeing his vehicle damaged, he was angry and started throwing punches at Waikale who jumped out of car and ran away.
He said he heard someone say that Kolap who was seating at the back seat of the car was coming out with a knife.
Naipao, hearing that someone was coming for him, had gone around to the back of the vehicle and pushed Kolap back into the vehicle before lifting him up by his shirt’s collar and the trousers and threw him out of the vehicle.
He then drove off.
Naipao also told the court that when he threw  Kolap out of the vehicle, he had held onto the knife and described the knife to be about two to three inches long.
He said he was not responsible for Kolap’s death.
The court adjourned the matter to next Monday.