JIMMY Goufi faced the Honiara Magistrate’s Court yesterday after he surrendered to police on Monday.
The 23-year-old is charged with the murder of the Chinese couple whose bodies were found in their shop at Town Ground last month.
Goufi was the guard providing security for the couple.
He was also the same person who showed the dead bodies to police, a day after the killing.
Days later, he fled to his home village in Malaita.
He escaped an earlier attempt by police to arrest him at his village.
Through community approach, parents, relatives and chiefs of Hadatolo assisted police to get Goufi to surrender.
The chiefs and community leaders of the village must be commended for their assistance.
Without talking their son into surrendering, the job would be difficult for the police.
This is a fine example every community across the country should emulate.
At the end of the day, it’s unlawful to assist a person wanted by the police.
Now the police are moving to get the second suspect, who is believed to be on the run in Lau-Mbaelelea.
The second suspect should do the same and surrender.
Because there’s no point hiding in the jungle.
Police have already identified him through the CCTV footage.
The right thing he should do is surrender to police and face the law.
This suspect needs to know this.
No one will ever escape the long arm of justice, no matter how long you try.
Remember Edmond Sae?
Sae was wanted for the murder of former police commissioner Sir Fredrick Soaki in 2003.
He evaded police arrest by hiding in the mountains of central Kwara’ae for more than 10 years.
He thought he’s going to hide from the law forever.
How wrong he was.
In October 2015, police extracted Sae from the bedroom of his home in an early morning raid.
He is now held at Rove Police Custody awaiting his trial.
Sae’s story should be a reminder to those trying to hide from the long arm of the law.
So the second suspect should be man enough and surrender to police.
This is the best option than to live the life of a fugitive.
