By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Police in Pujehun District have arrested two people in connection to the killing of a school teacher last month. Police say the two men were apprehended on Monday, 8 June.
The teacher, Sondufu Bundu, was killed in May this year, following a dispute between two rival communities - Sawula and Longu villages.
Local Unit Commander (LUC), Paul Bannister, said that they were able to apprehend the two following weeks of intelligence gathering.
“Both of them are brothers: Saffa Fieka and Musa Feika. This has made the investigation easier. We had arrested some people before now and we had sent their statements. We will now take statement from these two,” the local police chief told Politico on a telephone interview on Monday.
Police had arrested 15 people before Monday’s development. All those arrested were taken to Bo, the regional capital.
Police in Bo have already released some of the 15 people on bail, including a town chief. LUC Bannister said the two suspects had been taken to Bo. He also said he expected the case to be charged to court soon.
“It will not take us long time, because we have done everything that is humanly possible. From the statement we had sent, including statements from these two, the State Counsel will now look at them and advice,” he said.
The Office of National Security told Politico last month that the incident happened when the victim and a group of other people were on their way home from farm.
Usman Andrew Fornah, the ONS representative in the district, said the victim of his colleagues were attacked by men who came from the bush.
“They attacked them, some of them were chopped. They reached their village (Sawula) and complained and some wanted to retaliate but they were restrained. They later complained to the police,” Fornah explained.
The two villages which are part of Kpanga Chiefdom have had a land dispute since 2010 with both villages laying claim to a river that divides them.
Tensions have heightened intermittently over the years, leading to sporadic incidents of violence.
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