Two 17-year-old male persons were taken in by police and questioned in connection with the burning of five houses at two separate villages in the Aola area of Guadalcanal Province on Sunday 15 October 2017.
One of the suspects has been questioned and released but the other is continuing to assist the police with their investigations.
“One 17-year-old male suspect was arrested by Aola Police on Monday 16 October at Gobua Village in connection with the burning of one copra house following disagreement with his uncle over a cocoa plantation,” says Provincial Police Commander, Guadalcanal Province, Nixon Manetoga.
PPC Manetoga adds: “Aola Police also arrested another 17-year-old male suspect on Wednesday 18 October following the burning of one dwelling house built of bush materials, one kitchen and two garden houses on Sunday 15 October at Dalikoni Village also near Aola following disagreement over non-payment of damage to his cocoa plantation by a logging company.”
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“Police wants to call on our good people to sit down and discuss matters concerning their livelihoods in the communities instead of resorting to destruction of property which would only escalate the situation. I call on chiefs and other community leaders to mediate in such disagreements and not to allow members of the communities to take the law into their own hands,” says PPC Manetoga.