MURDER SUSPECTS ESCAPE!
………. 14 suspects escape from Maamba police station cells after cutting burglar bars with a hacksaw blade in broad daylight as Sinazongwe MP accuses police officers of colluding with criminals.
TROUBLE is brewing in Sinazongwe as the community is now demanding the removal of all police from the district on account of incompetence and collusion with criminals whom they are reportedly shielding due to rampant bribery.
On Monday, 14 suspects, among which three of them are accused of murder, escaped from the police cells around 14:00 hours after they reportedly cut the burglar bars, leaving seven of the suspects who opted not to run away and only three have been re-arrested so far.
As at yesterday, police command at Maamba police station had failed to explain the circumstances under which the suspects escaped but only indicated that only one female police officer was manning the station at the time.
But this suggestion has only flared tempers in the district as the community is demanding to know why there was only one police officer at the station despite a huge number of police officers at the station and what the same female police officer was doing when the suspects were cutting the burglar bars and who gave the same suspects the hacksaw which they were using.
The development has left Sinazongwe Member of Parliament (MP) Gif Sialubalo fuming and has demanded an investigation into the matter saying this was not the first time suspects had reportedly escaped from custody at the same station and wondered why it was only when there were high-profile cases of cattle rustling and murder that suspects escaped.
Mr. Sialubalo said what was happening at Mamba police station and in Sinazongwe District as a whole was an embarrassment and appealed to the police command to stop the circus by thoroughly investigating the officers involved.
He said there was a very high probability that police officers in Sinazongwe had been conniving with hard-core suspects such as cattle rustlers because all the three previous escapes by suspects happened soon after known cattle rustlers had been arrested.
“There must be something wrong somewhere because each time we arrest cattle rustlers, a break and escape happens. Last time, I bought fuel to pick suspects that had stolen cattle in Zimbabwe and after they were arrested, there was a break and they all went,” Mr. Sialubalo recounted.
The Sinazongwe lawmaker further demanded for due diligence from the police command in investigating the matter as such incidents had the potential to dent the image of the service and create mistrust of police officers.
He said this could create lawlessness if not addressed as the community may be forced to resort to instant mob justice each time suspects were apprehended.
Meanwhile, Gwembe Valley good governance advocate Winter Muvombo has asked the police command to reprimand all police officers at Maamba police station over this saga.
“The Officer-In-Charge must tell us who the officer on duty was, who gave these criminals the hacksaw, how come no one heard the noise, and how frequently the cell was being inspected by the officer. We also request the command to swiftly reprimand all those found wanting in these investigations,” Mr. Muvombo said.
Meanwhile, according to the escapee list obtained by The Scoop, the suspects who broke free were Benard Majata who is facing a case of defilement, Enock Munakayumbwa who is accused of stealing a child, Kanyemba Chikanya and Spaigo Mweembe who are both accused of murder.
Others are Oliver Sikapila, Evans Ndiyo, Moses Matako, Trust Chikonka, Moswell Mupika, and Akila Siakulya who is facing charges of stock theft.
Chipo Simwatachela, Isaac Sikajaka, Frank Jani and Nesho Munenge complete the list and are all facing theft charges. However, Chikanya was the first one to be re-arrested from the nearby drinking place as he is said to have gone to wet his throat after the “jailbreak”