By SILUMESI MALUMO
JUSTICE and accountability demands that all those involved in the organisation, transportation and subsequent killing of the two men in Lusaka must be brought to book, Chief Luchembe of Mpika has said.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Chief Luchembe said the law of natural justice should prevail over the December 23, 2020 shooting incident in which a public prosecutor Nsama Nsama Chipyoka and a UPND cadre Joseph Kaunda died.
He said UPND president Hakainde Hichilema must be held responsible for the deaths of two people last December just like Americans have blamed their outgoing President Donald Trump for the deaths of four people who died during protests at the Capitol Hill yesterday, an opposition leader has charged.
The chief said this was because prior to the incident, police had warned the UPND supporters to stay away from the proceedings but Mr. Hichilema failed to control them and he must therefore be held responsible for ferrying them from even outside Lusaka.
Chief Luchembe said the police and other law enforcement agencies must investigate Mr. Hichilema for ferrying the UPND cadres from as far as Mazabukaand Kafue to police headquarters where he appeared for questioning.
He said the Zambia Police Service and President Editor Lungu’s government are not responsible for ferrying the UPND cadres to go and cause havoc in the name of offering solidarity to Mr. Hichilema.
“In as much as we are aware that Mr. Hakainde Hichilema has written to the Human Rights Commission, we want to call upon the same Commission to thoroughly investigate all the UPND cadres if they possess guns. They should be scrutinised through the system to know which ones among those people from the UPND camp own guns.
“What happened in Zambia where two lives were lost could have been avoided. In the same vein, what happened in the United States of America could have been avoided if President Donald Trump had told his people to stay home. This is the more reason we are saying that a businessman is not good for top leadership of President,” Chief Luchembe said.
He called on the police and other law enforcement agencies to extend their investigations to Mr. Hichilema’s camp and scrutinise all his cadres and the people who went to police headquarters, adding that he is happy that some of the 32 buses that were used to ferry the cadres had been impounded.
Chief Luchembe called on Mr. Hichilema to learn from late President Michael Sata who stopped Copperbelt-based Patriotic Front supporters from coming to Lusaka to protest against his loss in the 2006 general elections and 2008 Presidential by-election on grounds that he did not want to come and rule a ruined country.
He said even when Mr. Sata was summoned to police on various occasions he stopped PF cadres from accompanying because he was called alone and he was able handle it.
