Three arrested over suspected murder of retired Brigadier General!
Police in Lusaka have arrested three suspects in connection with the suspected murder of retired Zambia Air Force Brigadier General Mike Obistor Mbewe.
Police Service Deputy Public Relations Officer Chipo Kaitisha said the suspects include Christopher Banda, 23, of Chainda Compound; Gift Chisenga, 24, of 10 Miles in the Mungule area; and a 19-year-old juvenile, also of Chainda Compound.
Kaitisha said the incident came to light on February 23, 2026, around 14:00 hours, when a 14-year-old boy from Chainda Compound reported the discovery of an abandoned silver Toyota Hilux, registration number BAF 5805, near an Assemblies of God Church in Chainda, Lusaka. The vehicle is believed to have been parked at the location between 22:00 hours on February 22 and 13:00 hours on February 23, 2026.
Police responded promptly and recovered the vehicle. The keys were later found in the possession of the 19-year-old suspect, who allegedly told officers that he collected the vehicle from the NAPSA Flats area together with Gift Chisenga before parking it near the church.
Later that day, around 16:00 hours, Ethel Mbewe, 49, reported her brother missing. She stated that Brigadier General Mbewe left his residence in Chongwe on February 22, 2026, at about 18:00 hours and did not return home.
Following investigations, police arrested Gift Chisenga on February 25, 2026 and later apprehended Christopher Banda. Preliminary investigations indicate that Banda allegedly met the deceased in Chainda Compound and drove him to a nearby mountainous area. It is further alleged that while at the location, Brigadier General Mbewe became unconscious. Police suspect he may have been poisoned.
The suspects are alleged to have abandoned him at the scene and driven his vehicle back to Chainda Compound, where it was later recovered.
The suspects subsequently led officers to a mountainous area in Meanwood Ibex, where the body of Brigadier General Mbewe was discovered.
The body has since been deposited in the mortuary at the University Teaching Hospital, pending a postmortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
All three suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations continue.