Malawi: Police in Namwera, Mangochi District have arrested 19-year-old, Botomani Martin due to his conceived connection to the brutal murder of a child. The victim has been identified as a five year old Brian Alabi from Mkwesa Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Bwananyambi in the district.
The suspect has been on the run for several days in an attempt to cross the border and go to Mozambique.
Mangochi Police Station Publicist, Inspector Amina Tepani Daudi confirmed the incident Tuesday. Martin was arrested on June 10, 2025, at Chiponde border.
At the time, he was on his attempt to cross over to Mozambique after several days in hiding. The officials have shared that Martin admitted to committing the crime.
According to the details that he shared with the police he had five partners in this crime who are still out of prison and untraced.
A man from Mozambique had hired the six people to do this. He intended to use the boy for ritual in what can be understood as witchcraft to become a traditional leader.
The police has confirmed that Martin has been a known criminal. His previous offences were not recorded, which does not put him on the record
Mangochi Police thanked the members of the community for apprehending the suspect.
The members of the community found the boy’s body on June 5, 2025. This was one day after he was reported missing. Some villagers noticed a dog barking while digging in a nearby garden.
They took the initiative to inspect closely and found that human fingers were protruding from the soil. This was according to the Mangochi Police report. The reports came
Police force, a clinical officer from Chiponde Health Centre were present at the scene to exhumed Brian`s body.
A postmortem tests has confirmed that the boy died of strangulation. He has a twisted neck and head injuries. The boy had signs of severe trauma on his body. These signs include punctured eyes and bleeding from the nose and mouth.
Martin is a resident of the Mkwesa Village, Traditional Authority Bwananyambi in Mangochi District.