Africa-Press – Namibia. OSHIKANGO residents are protesting against the granting of bail to a police officer, Sergeant Naidila Teofelus, who stands accused of murdering taxi driver 31-year-old Lebbeus Wambalili, in cold blood at Onamhinda village near Oshikango.
The residents handed over a petition to the Ohangwena court on Thursday, in which they demanded that the accused person be remanded in police custody.
Wambalili and his female passenger were shot in the back in early August this year at their village. Wambalili died on the spot, while his passenger was admitted at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital in a critical condition.
At the time of the shooting, it was alleged that the police officer who shot them was drunk and that there was an attempt by the police to cover up the crime.
The residents in the petition claimed that cases involving police officers have never been prosecuted and that if the court found Teofelus guilty, justice would have been served.
They also claim that they constantly face transgressions by police officers that seriously infringe on their basic human rights, but that little ever comes of such cases.
The spokesperson for the aggrieved residents, Hidipo Hamata, said the police have turned away numerous members of the community while attempting to press charges against police officers for injustices committed against them.
“Our movement in and around the constituency is limited to certain areas and certain hours, whereby failure to comply is met with violent attacks from police officers,” he said. He added that their privacy is invaded as homes are raided by the police at will, without prior notice, request for consent, or a search warrant.
They then pleaded for the accused person not to be granted bail, because once released on bail, they fear the accused person will interfere with the case as the investigators in the matter are his colleagues.
“We also request that a court order be issued for an independent investigator to investigate the case in question and not the local officers who are compromised and evidently lack objectivity,” added Hamata.
Teofelus, who is facing murder and attempted murder charges, has in the meantime been remanded in custody until his next court appearance on 30 November 2021.
