LIFE is precious because it is a gift from God.
That is why any extra judicial killing including those under the guise of law enforcement must be thoroughly investigated through judicial means which includes inquests.
Extra judicial killings must not be allowed to become the norm in Zambia because they are a cancer that know no affiliation and often sets a logic of its own which not even the authorities can control.
For the removal of any doubt, extra judicial killing is defined as the killing of a person by governmental authorities without the sanction of any judicial proceeding or any legal process or legal jurisdiction.
The killing of the two youth in Lusaka’s Mandevu Township falls in this category.
They were shot dead last week on Wednesday. There was no statement from the Police. A statement was only availed after the Mandevu Member of Parliament, Mr Christopher Shakafuswa raised an alert, partly because one of the victims was a senior member of the Patriotic Front at ward level. He was not a criminal of an unknown abode, as suggested
That is why it is imperative that an inquest must be held and the true circumstances of the killings must be known.
President Hakainde Hichilema has affirmed his commitment to the rule of law but sadly his officers are abrogating the very principles enshrined in good governance.
A few days ago, the former Defence Minister, Mr Davies Chama and former Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Stephen Kampyongo were arrested and humiliated.
They could have been given a call-out, but Police chose to arrest, detain, then transport them across the country to appear in court.
This was unnecessary.
