By GRACE CHAILE
SENIOR Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II of the Soli people of Chongwe district has sued the State demanding that the soldiers unconditionally surrender back possession of the forcefully encroached land to her chiefdom.
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Senior Chief Nkomesha is further demanding that the State compensates the affected families whose houses and property were damaged by military personel a sum of K20 million.
She is also claiming K5 million as damages for stress, mental anguish and inconvenience her subjects suffered.
Chieftainess Nkomeshya explained in a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court that sometime in June, 2023, her headman Mwalukanga within the Busoli Chiefdom was visited by two motor vehicles full of soldiers.
“They asked to be given some land where they could train in preparation for their peace keeping outreach program and the said training program was scheduled to last for two weeks and were given permission accordingly,” she said.
The plaintiff was, however, shocked when the soldiers refused to leave continued training and consequently started placing beacons and demarcating the land for construction of housing units and other projects.
She stated that the said soldiers went further to displace and demolish the resident’s houses without any Court Order whatsoever.
Chieftainess Nkomeshya claimed soldiers with guns have been deployed in an attempt to scare the local people and grab the land by force through illegal means.
She stated that over 15 houses have been demolished, an act which she termed as being illegal and an affront to the principals of natural justice in that they do not have the right to summarily enter the said lands and forcibly grab land under the guise of military training.
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