Two dead inmates from same village

By ELIAS LARI
TWO inmates shot dead while escaping from Baisu jail in Mt Hagen on Monday have been identified, to come from the same village in the Tambu-Nebilyer electorate of Western Highlands.
Relatives identified them as Ramson John, 19 and Joshua Noki, 20, from the Poiy Pinambe tribe in Nebilyer.
Both were remandees charged with murder which took place during the 2019 local level government elections. John and Noki were remanded last year straight after the counting of votes.
David Bulda, the late John’s stepfather, said since last year, both were kept in the jail awaiting their cases.
Bulda said the court process to prove them innocent or guilty was delayed and that was why many of them escaped because of frustration.
Of the 102 who escaped, eight were shot dead, 28 recaptured and 66 remain at large.
Bulda said “If their case was heard and decisions handed down, then we would not have had any problem with that.”
He said this was the worst breakout because the failure was with the Government for not dealing with the cases quick.
“If they were guilty of murder, then they should have served their jail terms but this was different both were remandees in the jail.
He claimed the Government had caused it and then pulled the trigger and took away eight lives.
“Justice was delayed and they lost their lives at the hands of the Government,” Bulda said.