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Thugs murder Chipoka CID police head

Thugs on Monday night brutally murdered head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Chipoka Police in Salima District, Inspector Rhoda Pilirani Ng’oma.

According to Salima Police Station spokesperson Gift Chitowe, Ng’oma, 42, on Monday afternoon was on duty during the opening of the Salima Sugar Factory by President Peter Mutharika.

Murdered: Ng’oma
Murdered: Ng’oma

She later returned home, where police authorities believe she was killed, he said.

“After the function, she went straight to her home at Chipoka Cear [Central East African Railways] lines and during the night, unknown thugs invaded her house where they murdered her and later stole assorted accessories. Her body is  at Salima District Hospital pending a postmortem,” he said.

Chitowe added that  no arrests have been made so far in connection with the incident, but investigations are underway.

Ng’oma, who usually stayed with her children, was believed to be alone on the material night as the children had gone to her home village for the holiday. She was found dead with a hair blower cable tightly wrapped around her neck.

However, Police have not found evidence that would establish that the murder might have been staged to silence the deceased on some cases that she was working on in her capacity as head of CID section, according to Chitowe.

“Part of her job as head of CID was handling cases, but we cannot confirm that she has been murdered by perpetrators of some cases she was handling. Otherwise, it might be that the perpetrators wanted to steal, but they faced resistance from her being a trained security officer that is why they killed her before stealing,” said Chitowe.

Confirmed the news: Chitowe
Confirmed the news: Chitowe

Ng’oma came from Kasanika Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chikulamayembe, in Rumphi District.

Meanwhile, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has urged the public to cooperate with Malawi Police Service (MPS) in investigating Ng’oma’s murder which they have described as despicable and a violation to the right to life.

CHRR said this in a statement issued yesterday.

Reads the statement in part: “CHRR, however, believes that the incident impresses upon the government and all stakeholders involved to indulge in a soul-searching exercise regarding the troubling trend of insecurity in the country.”

CHRR has further attributed cases of mob justice in the country to the vulnerability of MPS, arguing that if MPS cannot protect themselves then the citizens cannot feel protected, causing them to take justice into their own hands.

“How will the citizens have confidence in MPS, which is equally vulnerable at the hands of armed robbers?  Government must prioritise constructing secure homes for police officers and the men and women in uniform must be adequately equipped with self-defence training and resources,” reads the statement in part.

While the body has commended government’s efforts in ensuring a conducive environment for MPS they believe the efforts have not been enough given the evidence of escalating insecurity incidents in the country.

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