WE DIDN’T ARREST LUBINDA’S ABDUCTORS BECAUSE WE PRIORITISED HIS RESCUE – POLICE

WE DIDN’T ARREST LUBINDA’S ABDUCTORS BECAUSE WE PRIORITISED HIS RESCUE – POLICE

POLICE Spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi says officers did not arrest the mob that abducted acting PF president Given Lubinda because they prioritised his rescue.

And Chilabi has called on leaders to desist from inciting and abusing youths for their own benefits.

On Wednesday, Lubinda was abducted by suspected UPND cadres in Kabwe where he was meeting party officials ahead of the forthcoming PF convention.

Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Jack Mwiimbu later announced that Lubinda was safe after being rescued by the Police.

And speaking on Phoenix FM, Chilabi said the Police were dealing with a mob, so they chose to first rescue Lubinda before arresting his abductors.

He was responding to a question of whether or not they had made any arrest following the Kabwe incident.

“It’s a matter that we quickly received as Kabwe Central Police, and our officers rushed to the scene. And upon rushing to the scene, our objective was, firstly, to save a life. We saved Honourable Given Lubinda from there. I know people are saying, ‘but why didn’t you arrest those people right there and then?’ That’s the thing that will now follow. Our priority was first to save a life from there. Our officers were dealing with a mob, and there’s what we call mob psychology. Was it an issue that officers would be able to tackle both at once, rescuing a life and apprehending a mob? So it’s a matter of judgement,” Chilabi said.

“In law enforcement, we say it’s a matter that we need to assess. First thing, rescue a life, and then after, these other things would follow. Is it a matter like aggravated robbery where criminals will run away with guns, and then rescue? It’s a matter that we had assessed as Police, and we made the right priority, we saved a life, and then these others will follow. And that’s the next step that we are doing. It’s a matter based on priority, there were a lot of factors at play in that case. Apprehend the suspect and rescue a life, is it a suspect that we know? Is it a suspect that can be traced? So we had to ask ourselves those questions, and what was paramount was to rescue a life, and then these others can come later. We are dealing with a mob. Once we get one, we will get others, just like the Chingola incident”.

He said the Police were now analysing the matter so that culprits could be brought to book.

“It’s a matter that we are closely following as Zambia Police Service. Kabwe Central Police Station received a report around 12 hours that Honourable Given Lubinda was being roughed up and allegedly being abducted. So quickly our officers rushed to the scene and managed to rescue Honourable Given Lubinda from the mob that was roughing him up and whisked him away for safety. He was at Kabwe Central Police Station where we did all the formalities, recorded a report, and everything. We checked him, we asked him whether he had suffered injuries, and he said he was okay. After that, we instituted investigations into this matter. There’s a video, and this is what we are analysing now as Zambia Police Service,” Chilabi said.

And Chilabi urged political figures to notify the Police whenever they were in an area for the sake of safety, after being asked about the measures they were putting in place to protect them.

“This is the word of advice to those in politics, those leaders, those that gather public following: that it’s important at times, not to compel them, but just for the sake of safety and everything, to notify the Police within your area. If you know that you’ve got a following, you go to the market or anywhere and you expect that people will follow you, it’s always important to just let the Police know in advance that you will be in that area. In the event that the Police need to do crowd control, police safety and security, we would provide that safety,” he said.

“It’s not that we are replacing freedom of movement and freedom of association; everyone is enjoying that freedom. But just for the matter of safety and security, you notify the Police that, ‘I will be in your area, I will be passing through the market, I will be greeting people.’ It’s our constitutional mandate as Zambia Police to provide safety and security to all, regardless of where they are coming from”.

Chilabi also called on leaders to desist from inciting and abusing youths for their own benefits.

“Everyone has to play a role, especially those that are in politics, leaders out there. Let’s know what to say, let’s stop inciting and let’s not abuse the youths out there. Let’s also understand that we are in a democratic dispensation where fundamental rights and freedoms are there. Freedom of association, freedom of movement are enshrined in the Constitution. And above all, tolerance is something that is important. And what we say, if I’m a constituency chairman or youth leader, it’s important to take note of what I say, to be accountable, to be responsible with the utterances that one makes. You heard what the Minister said,” said Chilabi.

“And to the youths out there, do not be abused. This person will come to you, mobilise you, find you at this market, load you on this bus saying, ‘let’s go to this place,’ whose objective you don’t even know. You are just told to act unlawfully. We will apprehend you as Police, and you will appear in court. And when you appear in court, you appear alone, and that person who mobilised you won’t even be there to sign a police bond or bail you out from wherever you are. So let’s be careful as youths. Before you go, you need to know what the agenda is”.

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