UPND WARNED AGAINST PROCESSION

By SIMON MUNTEMBA

POLICE have warned the UPND against their planned unlawful procession ahead of Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s appearance for questioning at Police Headquarters in Lusaka.

Police spokesperson Esther Katongo advised the UPND members to stay away from unlawful procession to avoid skirmishes.

Ms Katongo was reacting to UPND Copperbelt Province chairperson, Elisha Mutambo who threatened that they would organise and send thousands of members from the provinces to accompany Mr Hichilema on the day he would be appearing before the police in Lusaka because they knew they wanted to arrest him.

“That will be as good as having an unlawful public procession and the law will take its course. So people should stay in their places such as homes and offices because we have not summoned the whole party. We have summoned only one person who is the UPND leader. We only expect few people such as his lawyers and others.

“But people being in the street in the name of giving solidarity, that one we will not allow. And we don’t want to be in confrontation with any one so that we can be labelled brutal,” Ms Katongo warned.

Mr Mutambo claimed that the party was aware that Government wanted to arrest Mr Hichilema on flimsy grounds and they would not allow their leader to go to police alone.

He challenged the police to prepare enough cells to accommodate thousands of UPND members who would accompany Mr Hichilema.

Mr Mutambo assured Mr Hichilema that he would not be alone the day the police will summon him. And Mr Hichilema, claimed that the police call out that was issued in Lusaka on Friday was aimed at stopping him from visiting the Copperbelt because the ruling party was scared of him.

Mr Hichilema, who claimed the call out was meant to suppress him politically lamented that he did not know how many times the government wanted to arrest him.

Speaking to his party officials on the Copperbelt on Friday evening, Mr Hichilema stated that he was briefed about a police call out in Lusaka but told his lawyers to request for another day as he was out of town.

On Friday, Police in Lusaka had summoned Mr Hichilema to Police Headquarters and is expected to appear tomorrow for questioning.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Nation has learnt that Mr Hichilema had been summoned by the police in Lusaka to help them with investigations over the two different National Registration Cards that he obtained both bearing his names but different dates of birth.