THREE NGOS GIVE POLICE IG 72 HOURS TO FIND THE HATEMBOS
…..implore the Head of State to fire Kanganja if he fails to do so
Democracy And Motherland Defenders Coalition has given Inspector General of Police Mr Kakoma Kanganja 72-hours ultimatum to find the abducted Pheluna and Milton Hatembo.
Speaking during a briefing in Lusaka today, the Coalition’s spokesperson Andrew Ntewewe called on His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to find another Police IG if Mr Kanganja fails to act on the matter within the mentioned period of time.
The Hatembos are the witnesses in a court case concerning leader of the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) Mr Hakainde Hichilema who is alleged to have fraudulently acquired farm number 1924 located in Kalomo.
Mr Ntewewe, who is also Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) president said that the abduction of the “two fully grown adults” is savagery and unZambian.
He inferred that Mr Hichilema is the one behind the abduction of the duo.
“We wonder what kind of a situation our county will be going through when citizens should be afraid of disappearing. That they should be afraid of abduction. That they should be afraid of being kidnapped just on a basis of raising matter relating to their property,” he said.
“We reasonably infer that their disappearance has to do with the litigation against Mr Hakainde Hichilema. We infer that they were abducted, kidnapped and illegally imprisoned by agents of Hakainde Hichilema unknowingly or knowingly. We never though in a peaceful country such as ours we could pen a statement such as ours that the abduction is not politics. This is a sadistic, savagery type of behaviour.”
Mr Ntewewe further called on the Head of State to retire Southern Province Police Commissioner if the Hatembos are not found within a reasonable period of time “before the end of this month.”
He however stressed that the Coalition will stand up and defend the rights of all citizens.
Other member institutions in the Coalition are Advocates for National Development and Democracy and the Zambian Institute of Governance and Civil Liberties Advocacy Platform.
-Smart Eagles