Africa-Press – Zambia. If this story doesn’t make sense, it truly doesn’t. But it is a true story—read on. On Sunday February 19, 2023 in Lusaka (by Zani Moune Motel), just after 1 am, 6 robbers attacked my sister’s household, and went away with hundreds her chickens. It is not the robbery that is shocking but how the Police behaved.
Robbers broke the Wall fence and gained entry into my sister’s poultry. One of them entered and started packaging hundreds of chickens in sacks, while others threw them over the fence. The husband courageously confronted the robbers. Out of instinct, they randomly ran away. Fortunately, the one inside the poultry didn’t notice. So he came face to face with the owner. Upon realizing that one was missing, the robbers returned and demanded that they open the gate or they would kill them. Because the fence is high, my quick thinking sister, niece and my mother fought with five other robbers using stones and everything they could lay their hands on to stop them from climbing the wall fence, while screaming for help. Everyone was deadly afraid to help, including their neighbor, who is a soldier. As expected, robbers eventually overcame them and one of them attacked her husband. The wife followed him and hit him with a big stone, rescued her husband and rushed into the house. The robbers rescued their friend, and left with a promise “to return and kill them.”
On Monday morning, February 20, 2023, they reported the case to the police. Later they were informed that a suspected robber was found lying by the roadside. When they went there, he was the one her husband had fought in that attack, whose hat, and shoes remained in the poultry. They returned to the Police and informed them that one of the suspects has been located. The Police told them to go and find transport. After they did, they returned to the Station. The Police told them to go and arrest the robber themselves and bring him to the station. They did so; only to be told to take him to the hospital because of the injuries he sustained in the fight the previous night. No arrest was made, even after he confessed to his parents that he was among the six robbers who robbed them the previous night. He was not even questioned.
The poor family sought help from the Central Police. They were told to go back to the very Police Station that refused to make the arrest. Stranded with the very robber, who would have killed them, they drove him to the hospital. Nobody questioned the robber as to where his friends were. The Police were so upset that her husband overpowered the robber. As we speak, the robber has not been arrested or even questioned. He is hospitalized as an innocent person and not a suspect. Sadly, since the attack, my sister is traumatized and so are her kids. The Police have never visited the crime scene at all. The poor family is now living in fear knowing that these criminals are out there and may be coming for them anytime.
Surprisingly, countless stories are reported of Police driving politicians around Zambia for committing political crimes. Similarly, the Police react differently if those robbed are politically connected and rich.
President Hichilema, please help this poor family get justice. Is Zambia Police for arresting politicians only? Why go with guns to arrest politicians while we citizens have to find our own transportation to arrest robbers, and ferry them to the Police Station by ourselves? Even when we do, the police ignore the crime? Are you telling us that we should start taking the law into our own hands? The family would have chosen to use mob justice, but brought the robber to the Police for him to face the law. What message are you sending to the public–that some robbers are above the law? Or is it that the Police are involved in this robbery?
Besides, why shouldn’t the Police be concerned that five other criminals are out there unless among them are Police officers themselves? If Mr. Kajoba wants to know how disgusting his officers have become under his leadership, he must follow up this case.
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