By NOEL IYOMBWA
GOVERNMENT must probe Dr Nevers Mumba’s real mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) because his reckless behavior leading to his arrest had put the nation’s interest at risk, the Zambia Republican Party (ZRP) has demanded.
ZRP president Wright Musoma has insisted that it will be carelessness on the part of Government to let the arrest of Dr Nevers Mumba in the Democratic Republic of Congo die a natural death when the man was putting the country in danger with his activities there.
Speaking in an interview Mr Musoma said that government should probe Dr Nevers Mumba’s arrest so that the nation knows why he was arrested rather than dwelling on the statement that he made.
Mr Musoma said that the statement that Dr Mumba made did not sense adding that he was hiding something, especially the business he had gone to go there.
The ZRP president stated that Dr Mumba like most opposition leaders was greedy and that is why he found himself in Congo and being hauled out of a hotel at night by heavily armed security personnel.
“We all travel, Dr Mumba has been travelling to many countries why would he be arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Government should probe this matter so that people know why he was arrested especially that the statement he made is not making sense. He is hiding something because this is not first time he is having issues in the DRC. As ZRP we believe his statement about being trailed was meant to sway people from real issues,” he said.
Mr Musoma has since implored law enforcement agencies to probe Dr Mumba so that if there is any criminality surrounding his arrest, the public will be informed.
Dr Mumba confirmed that he was brutally apprehended and accused of five treason-related charges by the Democratic Republic of Congo authorities.
He has disclosed that he was arrested by the DRC soldiers who were armed with machine guns, despite earlier denying reports about his arrest in the neighboring country.
“I would like to make it clear that my arrest was tough and brutal. It was clear I was headed for tough times because the charges were treason related but I would like to thank Government for the intervention,” Dr Mumba said in Kitwe on Tuesday, according to media reports.
On 4th October, 2004, the then Zambia’s President Levy Mwanawasa sacked Dr Nevers Mumba as Republican Vice President for insubordination.
According to President Mwanawasa, Dr Mumba had breached an oath of allegiance when he failed to retract his allegations that the Democratic Republic of Congo was harboring individuals who were working against the Zambian government. Mumba was replaced by the now late former Northern Province Minister Lupando Mwape.
