Students warned against protesting over FIC

‘‘Students must never allow themselves to be used as conduits of violence.’’

STUDENTS who will allow themselves to be used by some disgruntled opposition political parties to protest against Government over the Financial Intelligence Centre (FICs) 2018 Trends Report will have themselves to blame when their institutions are closed, PF youths have warned.

Commenting on reports suggesting that some students from some public universities and colleges have been paid to cause civil unrest over Government’s stance on the FIC report, Copperbelt Province youth chairperson Don Mungulube asked students not to be used by politicians.

Mr. Mungulube said youths should take a leaf from what had happened at the Copperbelt University and look at the broader picture of their involvement in national affairs than allowing themselves to be used as tools of violence by political parties.

“If these reports we are getting that some students are being paid to cause confusion by demonstrating against Government over unverified corruption portrayed by the FIC are true, then it is unfortunate. Students must never allow themselves to be used as conduits of violence.

“These protest are sponsored by people who do not have children in our colleges or universities and so, even if these institutions close like the case is at CBU, they feel no direct impact. It is the same students who will suffer and that is why they must be very careful with what they do,” Mr. Mungulube warned.

He said it was sad that some politicians were talking advantage of the vulnerability of youths in institutions of higher learning to create anarchy but warned students to stay aloof as involving themselves in destructive behaviours may derail their studies.

He said it was clear that the FIC was not sincere over the reports it was presenting to the public by insinuating that they were a final authority yet the illicit financial flows were under probe by investigative wings.

Mr. Mungulube said the portrayals of unverified but glaring corruption in Government had had huge knock- on effect on the affairs of the country and that whoever supported such did not mean well for the country.