Albino killers say they’d K1.1bn offer

Gerald Phiri, convicted of the murder of his 21-year-old albino niece Eneless Nkhata at Madisi in Dowa mid this month, has disclosed that a Lilongwe resident offered K1.1 billion (about $1.5million) for her bones.

Phiri, 38, who has pleaded guilty to two counts related to the murder and has since been given a 17-year jail term, said this after Inspector General (IG) of Police Lexten Kachama and Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jappie Mhango summoned him to a hearing on Wednesday at Mponela Police Station

He and nine others linked to Nkhata’s murder as well as the ‘potential buyer’ of the bones, are in police custody at the station.

Phiri claimed that his friend Medson Madzialenga, who has also been handed a 17-year sentence, persuaded him to murder his niece who completed her school certificate last year at Mzimba Secondary School.

He said his friend linked him with albino bone market agents and together they went to the residence of Damison Manyoni in Area 47, Lilongwe.

“We met him [Manyoni] in his house. He said if we supply him with the bones he will give us money which will make us go crazy. He promised K1.1 billion,” said the uncle, who had previously stayed with the girl for 16 years.

Phiri, who stays in Madisi, said he picked his niece from her home village in Traditional Authority Kaphuka in Dedza on the pretext that he had secured her a job in Lilongwe, but ended up in Madisi where she was taken to a forest to be murdered.

Kachama said they summoned the master-minder of the murder to understand the motive behind the murder of albinos, whose bones are reportedly used to make rituals for riches and good luck.

The minister said the albino overcome

murderers are so sophisticated, but he expressed hope that the Madisi incident will give the police clues on how to fight the crimes.n