Tribe gave girls as compo

 By JAMES APA GUMUNO

THE brother of a primary school teacher killed in Kol last year has confirmed that two under-aged girls were given as compensation.

Leo Wamune, a high school teacher, said the two girls were given to Kol people by their own tribesmen in Jimi district, Jiwaka.

He was in Mt Hagen with ward councillor Clement Martin and Francis Koril from the Evangelical Brotherhood Church in Kol to relate the story.

He said the tribesmen of the two girls from nearby Konmoka-Kilmanka had decided to give them as belkol compensation after his brother Thomas was killed.

He said Thomas was with his girlfriend Meggie Molomb at Meginapol village when he was dragged out on Jan 26 last year and killed.

“My Komka tribesmen and I didn’t demand young girls as compensation for the death of my brother,” he said.

He said straight after the killing, the Konmoka-Kilmanka clansmen fled in fear of retaliation. The few who stayed back decided to give the two girls away as compensation.

He said one of the girls was the daughter of Joseph Molomb, his brother’s girlfriend’s cousin.

Leo denied that K9,000 was given with the girls as compensation. He said only K6,000 was given with 30 pigs and the two girls.

He said the district peace and good order committee did not make the decision last March to give the girls away as earlier reported.

He said the money and pigs were shared among his tribesmen while the two girls were placed under the care of Dola Mul, a woman from the Konmoka clan who was married to one of his tribesmen.

Leo said the older girl escaped after two days while the 13-year-old stayed with her aunt for six months. 

She left after one of his tribesmen was bribed by the girl’s father to rescue her.

He appealed to Molomb to organise his scattered tribesmen to return to Kol and pay the full compensation to maintain peace and harmony.

He said the suspects who killed his brother were still at large.