The Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court has sentenced Owen Idi to seven years in prison with hard labour for seriously injuring a Natural Resources College (NRC) student while posing as a Gulewamkulu.
The court heard that on September 11, 2026, at around 4pm, Idi, armed with two panga knives, confronted three NRC students who were walking to a market near the college campus in Mazilo Village.
According to State Prosecutor Sub-Inspector Damiano Nyasulu of Lilongwe Police Station, Idi demanded money from the students before grabbing one of the female students and striking her legs with a panga.
A male student intervened, but Idi allegedly attacked him with the panga, striking him four times on the head and leaving him unconscious.
Villagers rushed the injured student to Likuni Mission Hospital before he was later referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital for further treatment.
Idi pleaded guilty to the charge of acts intended to cause grievous harm.
The prosecution asked the court to impose a custodial sentence, arguing that the victim sustained life-threatening injuries and spent a week in hospital, which disrupted his education.
The State further told the court that assaults allegedly involving people wearing Gulewamkulu regalia had become a concern in Lilongwe, and urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence.
In passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Shukrani Kumbani said the victim had been traumatized by the attack.
The court subsequently sentenced Idi to seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Idi is from Mazilo Village under Traditional Authority Malili in Lilongwe District.
