Pamela abductors in court today
AFTER their attempted escape from prison, two lads now aged 23 who abducted and held 13 Lusaka women for a ransom will today be presented to the Lusaka High Court.
Last week there was an alarm in the media that James Bwalya and Mathews Sikaonga had broken free from Mwembeshi correctional facility were they had been remanded awaiting their trial before the Superior Court.
In a twist of events, the two captors of the 13 women have been included on the cause listed for the criminal session slated for April 3, 2023 before High Court judge Charles Kafunda.
Bwalya and Sikaonga aged 22, are facing 53 counts of abduction, rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, prohibition of trafficking in persons and aggravation robbery involving more than K100, 000.
Out of the 53 counts, are 13 charges of aggravated robbery, 13 charges of assault , 13 counts of prohibition of trafficking in humans for purposes of sexual exploitation, 12 counts of rape and one count of abduction.
The offences were allegedly committed between January and October 2022.
Bwalya and Siakaonga had their victims captive in an unfinished building in Lusaka’s Chalala area.
The duo allegedly lured nursing students at Gideon Robert University in Lusaka’s Chalala area by inviting them for a party, including mobile money booth operators, with whom they had attended the same secondary school.
The victims were recused by the police, led by inspector general Lemmy Kajoba, following tedious investigations.
Prior to the police officers arriving at the scene, the girls who were traumatised by the horrific experience, escaped from their hostage takers and made their way to one of the homes adjacent to the criminals’ den, were they were sheltered by alert members of the community.
Bwalya and Sikaonga who used wrong means of hustling with a motive to become rich overnight, will be presented with an option to avert trial by pleading guilty to the charges or plead not guilty so that they can undergo trial and have their day in court.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba