WE ALL HAVE A DUTY TO SUPPORT THE POLICE IN THEIR DUTIES

AS I exit this topic of the 13 girls rescued, we all should be thankful they were found alive. The worst could have easily been the case.

Next is to state that as a Member of Parliament, my major role is to speak for the voiceless in my constituency and when need be, nation at large. This abduction case is unprecedented in our history and instead of apportioning blame on anyone, we should unite as a nation so as to establish the truth and nothing but the truth.

We help ensure measures are put in place to prevent this ordeal from occurring again in any district or constituency of Zambia.

At least I don’t wish it to ever happen in Matero and understanding why and how it occurred a stone’s throw away, is one step in preventing it from happening in our homestead.

So this is not about pointing fingers at the Zambia Police, IG or entire Government. This is about complementing them to find preventive solutions.

We see it time and again in the United States of America when rogue youths shoot and kill innocent kids at a nursery or primary school. Partisan politics is put aside and everyone instantly hold hands to console families and deal with the problem.

What we are seeing here is those in authority being defensive and gagging us even inside Parliament in the name of “active investigations.”

The abductors were not asking the girls which political party they belonged to and neither where those that played a role in rescuing the girls.

It’s one of those “you abduct one of the Zambian girls, then you have abducted all of our daughters and sisters.”

I know the risks around talking or discussing such matters.

Those who make a living on cooking propaganda are quick to slander “why is he seemingly interested. He is trying to cover himself. He was one of them.”

Lol. In our “modern” status quo some most gullible even proceed to believe such propaganda.

This article will however not discuss circumstances and fate of the 13 victims as their case is apparently “still under active police investigations.”

When and if the Police make their final report on the matter, then we may comment accordingly.

Away from the girls, here is what I now understand may have happened on that day based on listening to those that state or claim were on site.

So the Zambia Police had zeroed in on the exact area where the girls were being held hostage. This I guess from abductors phone signal out of ZICTA. The abductors who were about to capture another victim that arrived at their location after duping her.

The abductor opened the gate in “business as usual” mode but noticed the girl at the gate had hint of police decoy. He banged the gate and run inside the yard to the abducted girls’ house.

It was a rented house in one area of the wall fence away from the landlord’s house who was also a single and relatively young man.

The abductor ran into the house to grab his treasured items and can imagine a phone and wallet. He then bolted by jumping the wall fence for his safety.

The abducted girls then sensed trouble for the abductors and instant opportunity for their freedom.

They followed the abductor’s actions dashing to the wall fence to jump out as well. Most managed and ran to nearby houses screaming for help.

They stated some girls were still inside and needed to be helped out. A few boys encountered rushed back into the captive yard to rescue the ones that had remained. It was two pregnant girls and one heavily so. Attempts to help them out through by now open gate were futile as one the heavily pregnant girls insisted to exit by jumping via the wall as well.

She cried and opposed using the gate route as in her mind it may have led to her death given that’s where the abductors would arrive from.

Once all girls were all out of the danger yard, the community then gave them water and also phones to make calls to their mothers or relatives. In the same period the C5 rapid response Police unit arrived.

The Police and residents of the area should both be commended. Nowhere in the world does the Police work effectively without community participation. Police work is made easier if neighbours of law breakers volunteer information.

This is a given fact and Zambia actually once hard a very solid neighbourhood watch programme. Emmasdale and Makeni areas were well known for their solid neighbourhood watch programmes.

They arrested criminals by the time the Police would arrive be it a few seconds later. I gather it was abolished after some began to abuse the same neighbourhood watch errands to commit crimes.

That said, we still need to enhance solid partnership between the Police and communities. The two are symbiotic and heavily depend on each other to meet their aspirations.

We should desist from vilifying those that assisted the police towards, during and after in the rescue of the girls. We should actually make them heroes so as to encourage residents of our communities to be vigilante in helping neighbours raised by criminals.

This will encourage residents to wake up quickly in the middle of the night and out of their houses to help each time they hear late night compound shouts of “kawalala kuno” (there is a thief in our yard).

ZP has always had operational challenges time immemorial but a united community, can still help them curb usual and these latest strange unZambian crimes.

Well done everyone one that acted brave to get the girls rescued. Every incident is a lesson for us to help better future security for all citizens.

As for the rewards, it will not be released to anyone until Police investigations are officially completed and hopefully sooner. We don’t wish to be used as a scapegoat and cited for interfering in the “police active investigations.”

As for anyone telling me to shut up, it’s an exercise in futility as that also my “talanta” (calling) is to speak for those unable to even when they have acted in a heroic manner and no one is noticing their effort.

Happy to give them a platform to be noticed by those that voluntarily wish to reward them.

The topic is not and should not be a matter of them (in government) and us. It’s a matter for all of us to deal with. It’s a matter for the safety of all Zambians and more so the girl-child.

Stopping us the public or the rescued girls from speaking out will not do. Openness and even some apology if need be is what will heal the nation out of this unprecedented ordeal.

Being defensive just goes to accelerate the anger from citizens especially all of us parents of girls.

Let’s face the problem together and unite to resolve the puzzle and ultimately curb such crime from ever occurring in Zambia.