Thu, 31 Aug 2017 10:08:06 +0000
By Bennie Mundando
ATTEMPTS by Zambia Police Service to spin the story behind their failure to arrest a student who gouged the eye of a friend failed as they ended up contradicting not only the Zambia Army but there own officers’ version of events.
In the statement, Police spokesperson Ms. Esther Katongo claimed that police had entered the army barracks and failed to find the suspect, ealier police officers insisted that they never entered the barracks because they were blocked.
The Zambia Army also told the Daily Nation that police would have been assisted if they had gone through the right procedure.
This is in the case in which a Grade 12 pupil at Jesus Army private school, Abby Ngoma’s eye was poked out by his Arakan secondary school colleague, Kazembe Miselo, who has since been allegedly shielded from arrest by his father, a Zambia army soldier, Boyd Miselo.
Ms. Katongo’s statement claimed that police officers went to Arakan Barracks to apprehend the suspect and management at Arakan Barracks facilitated the search but they could not find him home.
This however contradicts what the Zambia Army and Mr. Miselo himself told the Daily Nation, where the army said that the Zambia police had not been to the barracks or not used the right channel if they did.
According to Ms Katongo, “It is therefore not true that management and the father of the suspect prevented the Police from apprehending the suspect.
“At no point were the Police blocked from accessing the barracks and what people should know is that there are procedures followed in instances where the Police intend to apprehend a suspect from the barracks and at no point have the police encountered problems as management has always been cooperative in this regard. Police are still looking for the accused person and arrangements have been made with relevant authorities in the Army to help apprehend the suspect when found,” she said.
On Tuesday, Zambia Army public relations deputy director Lieutenant-Colonel Sinyinza told the Daily Nation the army was always ready to facilitate for the arrest of any suspect within the barracks by the police as long as procedure was followed.
And speaking during a meeting with family members of the victim, Mr. Miselo said Ms. Katongo had confirmed to him that her officers never went to Arakan barracks to pick his son.
“Esther Katongo refused that they made a follow up. There is a procedure my brother for police if they want to go into the barrack which they know. They know that if they want to arrest somebody, they go through provost. Provost says it is not true that they went there and the police spokesperson has denied it,” Mr. Miselo said.
Abby’s aunt, Bernadette Malupande, yesterday praised the professionalism of police officers handling the matter but complained that justice was difficult for the down-trodden to obtain.
Meanwhile, Mr. Miselo has maintained his truant attitude towards the police as he kept officers at Woodlands police station yesterday waiting the whole day after he promised them he would go there.
