AN UNSOLVED SORCERY CASE OF SEVEN PEOPLE KIDNAPPED, TORTURED AND BURIED ALIVE IN UNGGAI-BENA

A survivor of sorcery-related violence who escaped death after eight days of brutal torture and ritual abuse that left seven people missing has recalled the horrific ordeal.

The survivor (name withheld) was captured along with nine others following the death of a young man on November 13, 2020, and has finally spoken out in hopes of seeing justice for the unresolved case.

The incident occurred in Lirofa Village, Unggai-Bena District of Eastern Highlands Province.

Police confirmed that the deceased person at the centre of the accusations had earlier been stabbed on November 11, 2020, during a drunken brawl outside Goroka town and later died.

The lone survivor said he was about to be buried alive when police arrived and saved his life.

“Escorted by armed men, they took me to a pit that had been dug overnight to bury me,” the survivor recalled.

“Suddenly, I heard people saying ‘blue flies’ were approaching. Minutes later, I saw police vehicles coming in and the men fled.”

The survivor also told police that on the first day of their detention, the victims were forced to take part in a ritual involving the corpse.

“We were forced to lick beneath the nose of the dead body and swallow fluids from it. The kidnappers believed this would reveal who among us had caused the death,” he said.

The ten accused people, including two women and an elderly man, were captured and held at a secure location in Lirofa Village where they were tortured for more than eight days and nights.

Goroka Homicide Unit First Constable Detective Dake Monda confirmed that the incident is still under investigation.

He said seven of the victims went missing that night and were never found, while an elderly man and a woman who attempted to escape were later captured and killed.

“Ten accused people were held against their will under tight security and were tortured and burned with hot iron for a week,” Detective Monda said.

“Seven of the victims were killed. Some had their legs chopped and were buried alive.”

The survivor was rescued after police were deployed to the scene following a tip-off.

“They would have killed the survivor or buried him alive, but 11 police vehicles from Goroka went in and rescued him. He was then brought to the Goroka police cell and locked up for safety reasons,” he said.

The remains of the missing seven victims were never found. Even the burial site remains unknown, and no arrests have been made since the incident.

Detective Monda added that police are finding it difficult to obtain information because locals fear they may also be attacked and become victims.

However, he said the suspects will be charged accordingly, including with willful murder under laws dealing with sorcery-related violence.

Meanwhile, Eastern Highlands Provincial Police Commander Chief Superintendent John Kale said sorcery-related offences often occur in rural villages in the province but are rarely reported to police.

He said the issue remains a serious law-and-order concern and has been targeted under the 2026 Strategic Management Plan, with a help desk set up at the Goroka Police Station.

The desk will assist with sorcery-related cases in partnership with the Kafe Women’s Association and the Family Sexual Violence Unit in Goroka.