Police in Mbeya Region are holding three people allegedly in
possession of a human hand which is believed to have been chopped from a
child with albinism.
The suspects were arrested last Sunday evening at Malonje village in Mbozi District.
Mbeya Regional Police Commander, Ahmed Msangi said the human hand
is suspected to be chopped from a five years boy, Baraka Cosmas (5)
whose hand was cut by unknown people on March 8, this year at Chipeta
village in the same district.
Msangi named the suspects as Sajenti Kalinga (54) carpenter from
Malonje village, Mnela Simji and Mihambo Kamata, both from Sumbawanga
District in Rukwa Region.
He said their arrest follows information from other three suspects
including a traditional healer who was arrested soon after the attacks
of Baraka Cosmas last month.
“We arrested them after the traditional healer told us on their
whereabouts…he is the one who ordered them to bring the hand of the
child,” said Msangi.
Last month, a court in Geita region sentenced to death four men for
the killing of Zawadi Magindu in 2008 at Nyamaruru village. They were
found guilty of attacking her and cut her limbs and right hand with an
axe and a machete.
The husband of a 32-year-old woman with albinism was among the four
men who were sentenced to death. They are Nassoro Charles, a resident
of Beda Village in Kagera Region, Masaru Kahindi of Nyamaruru village in
Geita Region, Ndahanya Lumola whose origin could be established and
Singu Nsiantemi from Kakoyoyo village in Bukombe District, Shinyanga
Region.
Tens with albinism have been killed countrywide between 2007 and
2015. The sentence was the first of cases related to albino killings in
Geita and the 16th nationwide. Between 2009 and 2011, 11 people were
sentenced to death in connection with PwA killings.
On March 24 this year Police in Muleba District, Kagera Region were
holding two people found in possession of human bones that belonged to a
person with albinism (PWA) killed almost a decade ago.
Confirming the arrest, Regional Police Commander Hennry Mwaibambe said the human remains date as far back as nine years ago.
He also named the accused as James Lutozi (66) and Emmanuel Karoli (50) both residents of Kyota village in the district.
“The arrest followed a tip off from good citizens who informed
police of people trying to sell off body parts of a person with albinism
for 3m/-,” he explained.
Mwaibambe said the police managed to arrest the suspects on March
20, this year at their homes where the subsequent search of the premises
resulted in the recovery of the bones.
"After being interrogated the suspects admitted that the bones
were of a person with albinism who died in 2006 in Rushwa village in
Muleba District,” the RPC said.
He further said that the suspects also admitted to have exhumed the remains back in 2008 under the directives of a witchdoctor.
“They identified the remains to have belonged to one Zeulia Justus
who died shortly after she delivered,” the RPC went on to explain.
He was keen to point out that the police are currently working to
verify that the remains are of the said person and from the said year.
“So we requested a permit from the court to exhume the tomb,” he
said and noted that the exercise was conducted last Monday and it has
been confirmed that indeed the recovered bones were removed from
Justus’s body.
“We have now launched a manhunt for the witchdoctor known as Mutalemwa Revocatus,” the RPC said.
The development comes but months after police in Simiyu Region
embarked on a crackdown in connection to ongoing killings of People with
Albinism.
Several dozen witchdoctors were subsequently arrested however
Simiyu Regional Commissioner Eraston Mbwilo only last week ordered them
released.
Following the release, Simiyu Regional Police Commander Charles
Mkumbo gave all traditional healers in the region a one-month ultimatum
to register their businesses with the relevant authorities or face the
law. SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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