Innocent ‘troops’ still detained

ABOUT 24 men believed to be working with Patriotic Front (PF) cadre Innocent Kalimanshi are still in police custody and have not yet appeared in court since they were apprehended last December.

The suspects, who are detained at different police stations, were yesterday taken to the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court complex under heavy security but could not appear in court as there was no indictment for them before Chief Resident Magistrate Lameck Mwale for allocation of their matter; and their names did not appear on yesterday’s cause list.

A source within the Judiciary revealed that the suspects could not be cause listed because there is allegedly no docket regarding their case at the National Prosecutions Authority (NPA), which prepares the cause list for allocation of cases.

When contacted police spokesperson Esther Katongo said she did not know the reason the suspects did not appear in court and that as far as she is concerned, police were done with investigations in the matter.

Ms. Katongo said the matter was taken to NPA and that for the police officers to take the suspects to court there was an indication but that may be there was just miscommunication. She said she could not give a position that there is no docket for the suspects at NPA.

After the suspects spent about two hours in the holding cell at the court premises, they were driven back to the police stations where they are being held at high speed and amid tight security as their relatives watched in awe.

They were apprehended on December 21, 2020 when police raided a premise belonging to Kalimanshi in Chawama compound and confiscated various offensive weapons such as spears, axes, machetes, and knobkerries.