Albino abductor sentenced

BLANTYRE: A Malawian man who kidnapped a 4-year-old albino boy was sentenced in absentia to 21 years in prison by a court in the southern city of Zomba, judicial officials said yesterday.

Jafali Ligomba was handed the lengthy sentence on Friday, even though he is still at large and the child is yet to be found, in the hope that the punishment would be a deterrent to others, said the judge.

It was the first court case of the year involving crimes against albinos, who face kidnap and murder for their body parts, which are believed by many to hold magical powers and are used in “witchcraft”.

According to a police statement, the kidnapping occurred in November in the Mangochi district, with the boy abducted when his mother was away attending a funeral. It added that the boy has yet to be found.

Overstone Kondowe, president of the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi, said that he welcomed the harsh sentence but added that it would need to be reviewed once the status of the missing boy is established.

“It is a fair sentence. Being the first case this year, we hope it will be a yardstick for further cases,” Kondowe added.

Since 2014, Malawi has registered 25 albino murders, as well numerous cases involving the selling of body parts and grave-robbing.