SIUTA Niumataiwalu’s mother, Makereta Ranadi Koroi, did all she could to raise him as an upstanding citizen when his father died in 2005. The 66-year-old said her husband died when Siuta was in Year 5.
“I worked hard to put him through school along with his siblings and now my dearest Siuta is no more,” Ms Koroi said.
“It has been a long and difficult journey raising my children, but I am thankful that God has never left our side, He has always been there for us.”
She still cannot come to terms with the fact that her son is no more.
In the course of apprehending a suspect, the 24-year-old was stabbed allegedly several times at Carnival Ground in Lautoka early on Tuesday.
A distraught Ms Koroi said the last time she saw Mr Niumataiwalu was on Sunday when he visited them over the weekend.
“He left for Lautoka on Sunday morning, we had said our goodbyes to each other not knowing that it would be the last time we would ever see each other.
“Now Siuta is no longer with us but I am thankful and I am at peace knowing that I had done everything I could to raise him and help him achieve his dream.”
Ms Koroi said her son had always wanted to be a civil servant and she worked hard to support him.
Mr Niumataiwalu hailed from Lasekau, Bau, in Tailevu and had maternal links to Nalawa, Ra. He was the youngest of five siblings.
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho said the officer paid the ultimate price, “and in his eagerness to answer to the call of duty he unfortunately had left behind the necessary equipment and accessories of his baton and capsicum spray”.
