Angry residents of Okahandja Park in the Tobias Hainyeko constituency say they are being terrorised by a knife-wielding gang in the area who walk around in a large group.

In the latest incident on 5 May, it is alleged that a group of more than 20 boys attacked a grade 12  learner, Abraham Kinda and stabbed him to death.

A 17-year-old suspect reportedly spent two nights in custody before he was out and started walking the same streets.

He was released because he is under aged. 

“To make matters worse, the suspect, in particular, has a pending murder case and several assault cases but he never stayed in jail. Everyone in the location is complaining about the group, and him in particular. But he is never brought to book,” said Diana Kinda, the mother of the deceased.

According to the family of the deceased, who have not yet buried their son, immediately after his release, the suspect started taunting the cousins of the deceased saying there is nothing they can do.

“We are now living in fear. The most dangerous person has been released two days after the incident. We are mourning and we are already hearing stories that the person was terrorising other people the previous night. That person just came from custody two days before he committed a crime and spent the same amount of days after he killed our son. This is so painful to see the person roaming around while your son is not yet put to rest,” said Kinda.

Contacted for comment, Khomas Police’s crime investigations coordinator  Nikolaus Kupembona confirmed the matter and said the accused may have been released because of his young age. However, he was looking for more details on previous alleged crimes and requested the dockets from the relevant officials.

He declined to make any comment on the safety in the area.

Kinda and relatives gathered at her house yesterday to remember their son. She said her son was her hope out of the cycle of poverty since he was doing well in school.

“He was my hope. They always walk in groups of four cousins and two friends. One day my nephew was attacked by that group and he beat one of them. The next day the family of that boy came here to attack one of my nephews and broke his leg. From there it is no longer safe for my boys. The gang has restricted them from entering their neighbourhood saying they will assault them. We told our children to comply fully with their restricting instructions. But unfortunately on that day, they bumped into them while they were taking their phone for repairs. The other one ran away and they killed my son. They have killed him!” she emphasised while fighting tears.

She added they are losing confidence in the police as the children have been opening cases since the issue started in 2019, but the police are reluctant to attend to their issues.

She said her family is now struggling financially to make funeral arrangements and that is why her son has not yet been buried two weeks after the incident happened.

– ljason@nepc.com.na