A man, who was facing arrest for allegedly defiling a girl in Likoma, turned a prayer house into a death scene by hanging himself inside St Peter’s Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Northern Malawi.
Kenneth Malikita, 32, of Chamba Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mkumpha in Likoma was on Monday found hanging dead from the roof of the church.
Both Northern Region Police assistant spokesperson Maurice Chapola and Likoma Police Station spokesperson McLiff Ngulube on Tuesday confirmed that the deceased was a defilement suspect.
Chapola said the suspect allegedly defiled a six year old girl. He claimed that the suspect coaxed her with K50 to buy snacks and ended up dragging her into the house where he defiled her.
“We opened a file against him,” he said.
This is a second suicide case in three weeks following similar offences.
The other case happened in Nkhata Bay where 44-year-old Cain Kasambeni Banda, of Chibwana Village T/A Mankhambira in the district, hanged himself in a tree after escaping arrest.
Anglican Diocese of Northern Malawi bishop Fanuel Magangani condemned the act by Malikita who was a member of the church.
He said a church is a holy ground that needs to be respected at all cost.
He stressed the suicide will likely bring discomfort to members of the church, adding it will take serious prayers to take away the scare it may cause.
