Sued Mongu Police Officers’ plot uncovered 13th July 2013 A plot to terrorize and arrest proponents of the Barotseland self-determination by the police in Mongu has been uncovered. Informed sources at Mongu Police told this reporter that police leadership in Mongu is planning to arrest the Chairman for the Barotseland Freedom Movement (BFM), Nyambe Namushi and businessman Lubasi Mukamba of Kaoma for reasons related to their action to sue the Attorney General and some named senior policemen who searched and framed treason charges against them in June 2012. It is understood that the police intend to arrest and manufacture charges against the duo for refusing to remove the senior policemen from their suit. They will be sent to secret locations away from Barotseland where they will be tortured and possibly eliminated. The intention is to defeat the course of justice. The reliable source said that soon after being served with the Writ of Summon, the Police Officers sent an emissary to request for the removal of their names from the summons; contending that it would damage their reputations. The source also confirmed that the Attorney-General had written a letter to their lawyers requesting for the removal of the senior policemen from the suit because they were about to retire. He added that in his opinion it would be a travesty of justice because the police had exceeded their mandate by confiscating documents related to the Roger Chongwe Commission of Inquiry into the Mongu riots from Nyambe Namushi who was a Commissioner. They also collected several unrelated documents not stated on the search warrants. On June 6th 2012 the Police from Mongu searched Messrs Namushi and Mukamba after producing search warrants purporting that they were holding national registration cards from recruited foreign and local youths for military purposes. The search warrants claimed that the duo had either stolen or unlawfully obtained the national registration cards for the purposes of recruitment of youths into the militia against the Government. After the search no national registration cards were found, but then police proceeded to warn and caution the duo that they were being investigated for treason arising from their participation in the Barotse National Council convocation of March 26-27 2012. When asked why they were made to sign warn and caution statement one of the police officers said; “that was just a cover up”. A search at the High Court Registry confirmed that on 25th April 2013, Messrs Muleza and Company served Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim on the Attorney General and the named Mongu based senior policemen, under Cause No. 2013/HP/0529. The Statement of Claim states that after the searches the Defendants had published false information about the Plaintiffs that they had approached a retired army officer to recruit persons to fight the government of the Republic of Zambia. The information was published on behalf of the Government by the Defendants while knowing they were false or reckless, not caring whether they were true or false in order to induce government and the public disaffection against the Plaintiffs. In consequence the Plaintiffs have been greatly injured in their credit and have suffered loss and damage. The Plaintiffs therefore claim the following: (1) An order for the delivery up of the seized property of the Plaintiffs (2) Alternatively KR150,000.00 the estimated value of the property (3) Damages for conversion (4) Damages for loss of use of property (5) Damages for malicious falsehood against the Plaintiffs (6) An Injunction restraining the Defendants whether by themselves, their servants or agents or otherwise from further publishing or causing to be published the words set out in the Statement of Claim or any words similarly disparaging of the Plaintiffs. (7) Any further relief Court may deem fit and (8) Costs. Namushi is not new to false indictment, malicious prosecution, persecution and harassment by Zambia Police. On 13th January 2011 he was arrested and charged with treason along with twenty-five others, and detained at Chimbokaila prison in Lusaka. On 27th February 2011 the treason charges were dropped but was rearrested on trumped charges of riot committed a day before the stage managed police riot of 14th January 2011 occurred, and sent to Mumbwa prison. On realizing that the charge could not stand, it was amended and backdated to 23rd October 2010 that he had rioted at Blue Gums. He was acquitted of the charge after spending six months in prison. On 6th June 2012 he suffered another trumped up investigation and made to sign a warn and caution statement for treason arising from his participation in the Barotse National Council meeting of 27th March 2012 after being searched and falsely accused with malice that he was keeping national registration cards for local and foreign youths believed to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained; and that the youths were recruited for military purposes against the Government of Zambia. It is agony to be persecuted for demanding lawful human and political rights in your own country by the illegal occupying forces from another country. Recently the Banjul based African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights held that a prima facie evidence has been established that the Government of Zambia has violated the African Charter. Notwithstanding this the people of Barotseland continue to suffer human rights violations at the hands of the Zambia Police. - See more at: barotsepost/index.php/en/frontnews/local-news/424-sued-mongu-police-officers-plot-uncovered#sthash.mcuBHJji.dpuf
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 18:26:46 +0000