PF PLANNED MASS ARRESTS…judges were already picked to pass verdicts – police sources
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
SENIOR security officers have revealed that apart from the arrest of President Hakainde Hichilema as promised by Edgar Lungu, some traditional leaders, journalists and other citizens were going to be arrested if PF had won the August 12 elections.
The sources revealed that this journalist, News Diggers editor-in-chief Joseph Mwenda, Free Press Initiative (FPI) founder Joan Chirwa, formerly The Mast managing editor, Mongu’s Lloyd Kapusa and others were to be picked up soon after the elections.
But former home affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo disassociated himself from the allegations saying he never controlled the police and referred everything to the Inspector General of Police. For his part former IG Kakoma Kanganja described the allegations as fake news from officers trying to be recognised by the UPND government.
“And to show a semblance of the rule of law and democracy, people like Gary Nkombo, Cornelius Mweetwa and other vocal senior UPND officials were to be let free so that they put up a fruitless legal battle against the arrests to appease the donor community. The US Embassy in Lusaka was to be put in check with regards to its comments over the would be arrests in what the PF called ‘ambassador Foote check-list’ (in reference to Daniel Foote who was recalled in 2019 after a dispute with the PF government),” the sources revealed. “Apart from yourself, Mr M’membe, one Joan Chirwa, Christopher Miti (based in Chipata), Ernest Chanda and a female journalist Ms Chakwe (Masuzyo) were all to be detained under seditious laws.”
The sources added that others on the list were Prime TV’s Kapusa who filmed Hakainde Hichilema’s forest escape in Sesheke during a by-election in 2019 which was won by UPND’s Romeo Kangombe.
The officers also revealed that Fumba Chama popularly known as Pilato, Laura Miti who were arrested in Livingstone in December 2019 was to show that Southern Province was a security hotspot meant to channel police attention to the area.
The sources indicated that the arrest of Ackson Sejani, senior chief Mukuni’s wife Veronica, and three others over the Hatembo’s ‘abduction’ were all operations aimed at ensuring vocal people against the PF were caged before August 2021, adding that Mukuni’s wife was a trap to smoke out the traditional leader who was thought to be in hiding.
Other people PF planned to arrest were chiefs Mukuni, Hamusonde, Monze, Socialist Party president Dr Fred M’membe and now home affairs permanent secretary Josephs Akafumba.
The sources also revealed that other senior vocal UPND officials such as Neto Halwabala were going to be arrested.
“Mr Mbulo, you may not know that Mr Paul Sensele was asked over the authenticity of your stories attributed to him. Fortunately, he did
tell the police CID-Os (criminal investigations department officers) that he did issue whatever you wrote against the PF and the then head
of state Edgar Lungu,” the sources continued. “The idea was, had he refused to respond you were to be immediately picked up by police and transferred out of Livingstone and get a charge of publishing false information and defamatory statements against then president Lungu with strict orders of excessive torture.”
When reached for his version of things, Sensele, a former Livingstone district commissioner and now an NDC member of the central committee, acknowledged receiving calls from the police prior to August 12, 2021 over stories attributed to him in The Mast by this journalist.
“All the people we have talked of were also to be arrested in August 2021, in some early hours as soon as Edgar Lungu was declared winner. The arrests were to be carried out at around 03:00 hours and police officers were monitoring yours and their movements,” the sources said.
They said The Mast and Diggers were to be immediately shut down as they were all viewed as being a danger to national security and that they were clones of The Post.
“Mr Mbulo and all your fellows including now President Hichilema you are lucky that Lungu lost; or we would be talking of a sad news now
and nothing or no one was going to do anything. It was well planned and the judges were already picked to pass your verdict. Sadly, it would have been a life sentence or worse,” said the sources.
But when contacted, immediate past home affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo said he did not control the police.
“Ah! Now how do I come in like that?” he asked.
Reminded he was home affairs minister then, Kampyongo said the person who could divulge such information was the current minister.
“At the time you are saying I had already been, as you know three months before elections no one remains in office. So, it should be born in mind that the best person who can answer about the Ministry of Home Affairs, anything to do with that…” said Kampyongo. “And in any case the minister doesn’t control the police. So, the best person who can answer that is probably the Inspector General (of Police) because the minister even the current minister, I don’t think he micro-manages the police. I doubt if he could be the best person. The best would be the Inspector General.”
But addressing Masala residents and marketeers who gathered as then president Lungu toured the market and the nearby houses on February 9, 2018, Kampyongo bragged that he was in charge of the police and that when one saw police acting, they should know that he was behind it.
“We don’t have size. Even if you say forward [UPND slogan] and go back, reverse. Ala ifwe tatwakwata na (we do not have) size. You insult Kateka, twalonga, e ncito twaishiba ifwe (you insult the President, we arrest, that’s the job we know). One Zambia, One Nation,” said Kampyongo. “When you see [then Copperbelt police commissioner] Charity Katanga acting, know that Kampyongo is behind [it]. That is the football we play, us. Those foreigners who come and do other things, immigration comes in, then you know it’s me. When we come to Ndola to clean, I know there are a lot of confused chaps here, I will come to clean very soon….”
Meanwhile, former inspector general of police Kakoma Kanganja demanded to know which senior officers divulged the information.
“That’s fake news. Which senior officers told you that?” he asked.
When informed that it was unethical “for us to disclose our sources of information”, Kanganja said it was fake news.
“That is very fake news. What seditious material did you have? Brush it aside, that’s fake news. These are officers who are trying to be recognised, just forget about them. Please just rubbish it. That’s nonsense. Thank you,” said Kanganja.