Police search of UPND secretariat comes up empty

Police Service yesterday conducted a search for offensive weapons at the United Party for National Development (UPND) secretariat in Lusaka’s Rhodes Park area.

A check by Daily Nation between 16:00 and 17:00 hours found both uniformed and plain clothed police officers searching offices housing the UPND secretariat and entire building surrounded.

Meanwhile, Patriotic Front (PF) Lusaka Province youth chairman Kennedy Kamba has charged that youths do not expect police to allow UPND planned rally in Munali Constituency tomorrow (Sunday) following disturbing reports of the party allegedly being in possession of offensive weapons.

Mr Kamba claimed that the aim of the UPND rally was to disturb the people of Munali and urged them to be prepared for chaos.

He said the PF youths in Munali constituency will not sit idle and watch the UPND cause chaos in their constituency.

UPND lawyer Chad Muleza confirmed that police had a warrant to search all UPND facilities in Lusaka.

Meanwhile, addressing journalists after a search UPND Mazabuka Central Member of Parliament and Chief Whip Gary Nkombo said according to the warrant of search police were looking for offensive weapons.

“We gave them access to go in the office however it is important to mention that before our legal counsels arrived, they had already gotten access to the premises without resistance

“The search was conducted room by room and they also went further to search the caretaker’s home which was not included in the warrant as far as we are concerned,” he said. Mr Nkombo said the address on the warrant was wrongly quoted.