Teacher’s hand chopped, houses razed in fight

A young male primary school teacher had his left hand chopped off and 14 houses burnt in a tribal fight between the Yobos and Ireyokon tribesmen from Tsak Valley in Wapenamanda district, Enga.
The Ireyokon tribesmen raided Yobos territory last Thursday after alleging that one of their men broke into a canteen owned by an Ireyokon tribesman.
Provincial police commander Supt Martin Lakari said yesterday that the Ireyokon tribesmen who went on a rampage chopped off a left hand of a young teacher from Yobos tribe.
Lakari said the raiding party slaughtered seven pigs and caused massive damage to the properties owned by Yobos tribesmen.
He said the two warring parties mobilised with high powered guns and were preparing to fight when the police intervened early next day and stopped them.
Lakari, who led his policemen and peace and good order committee in the province into Tsak, said he went and talked to tribal leaders from the two sides to lay down their arms and allow justice to take its own course.
He said the leaders from the two sides were happy with the quick intervention of the police and laid down their firearms.
He said the peace and good order committee issued preventive orders to both parties not to fight again.
He said the situation was still tense and, yesterday morning, he deployed 20 policemen to camp in Tsak Valley to monitor the situation.
Lakari said criminal investigation officers would also carry out investigation into the break and enter, attempted murder and wilful damages.
He said the policemen would be camping in the area for 14 days and appealed to the leaders from the two sides to surrender suspects allegedly involved in the break and enter, attempted murder and causing wilful damages to the police.
He said the law would take its own course and deal with the offenders and urged the Yobos and Ireyokon tribesmen not to take up arms and fight.
Lakari said the case was now becoming a police matter and they would investigate and deal with the suspects involved.
He urged the people to mind their own business and stay away from trouble.