Friday, March 29, 2024

My nephew was shot by ZNS officers without consideration to the Laws of the land

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ELINA Ngandu one of the residents who’s house was allegedly raided by Zambia National Service officers in Lusaka’s Kampasa area. INSET: Police remove the body of a victim of yesterday’s shooting in Lusaka’s Kampasa area
ELINA Ngandu one of the residents who’s house was raided by Zambia National Service officers in Lusaka’s Kampasa area. INSET: Police remove the body of a victim of the shooting in Lusaka’s Kampasa area

The burial of Clement Muloongo,one of the victims of the Kamapasa shootings took place peacefully in Silwindi area of chief Sipatunyana’s area of Kalomo on Wednesday afternoon without any political interference.

Muloongo who was 35 years old leaves behind a wife and four children all below the age of 12 years.

He was murdered by Zambia National Service officers last week when the officers raided the Kapasa area,demolishing houses that were said to be illegal and beating occupants.

Two victims, Clement Muloongo and Pumulo Lungwangwa, were hit with short batons before they were shot at close range, according to reports. One was shot in the head and the other in the chest.According to eyewitnesses, one of the men raised his hands and begged the officers armed with AK 47 rifles to spare his life but they ignored him and opened fire on him.

Relatives to the deceased say the incident could have been avoided if appropriate land vacation notification measures were employed.

“I stand here firmly, we have the law that governs us in this country, even those who are worse than my nephew, if they have committed a serious crime, they can be sentenced to life imprisonment, but for my nephew, he was shot without notice, imagine even wild animals are protected by the law, I urge all authorities to see to it that justice prevails,” wailed an uncle to the deceased, Godfrey Fwenkesha.

The relatives have called on concerned authorities to expedite what they called ‘ barbaric’ conduct by our men in uniform saying the security wings were in place to protect its citizens but lamented that a few individuals have instead resorted to unwarranted behavior when dealing with public disorder.

During the burial of Muloongo, relatives of the deceased, most of them from the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) abandoned the procedure and started praying for officers who are alleged to have trampled down a religious building in the area when the ZNS squad conducted the eviction exercise.

Brother to the deceased, Boyd Chisamu Muloongo and Catherine Nalucha,both of Kampasa residential area who were inflicted with bruises and now displaced by the ZNS brutality said they regretted what the officers did and have also called on political parties to desist from making funerals platforms for championing their political persuasion.

The duo condemned the fracas that occurred between the UPND and PF during the funeral of the victims in Meanwood location.

A government delegation led by Kalomo district administrative officer,Justus Phiri at the burial was received peacefully but tempers flared and heightened when the body of the deceased was lowered in the grave at the nearby farm field in headman Silwindi’s village.

The Human rights commission (HRC) has opposed the use of live ammunition against unarmed persons because of the potential risks to life or permanent disability that could result from such actions.Civil society organisations and human rights activists have condemned the incident in which security personnel used live ammunition in the eviction exercise saying right procedures were available in the law to address such situations.

[ZANIS]

13 COMMENTS

  1. Its not just “Law of the land”. Its Law of nature, not to kill, not even a cobra. And Sata said PF will rule by ten commandments.. and the 2nd commandment says “mwilaipaya”,(thy shall not kill). Unfortunately, he was lying again.

    • #1.1 Kapala, Sata is the commander-in-chief and everytime our armed forces are in action they act in the name of the president. So it might not be Sata who pulled the trigger, but its his officers who acted IN HIS NAME that killed. So Sata takes full responsibility for what happened. So if these guys acted alone then let them face the law for acting without presidential approval.
      So if you still believe its not Sata who killed them, then equally we should not hear him screaming that he has built roads because its not him that digs the roads to build them. He has to take full responsibility for all things done in his name be it good or bad.

  2. Govt is not doing enough on land wrangles. We need to set up a settlement agency to settle people, who have no land. I know others have no money to buy, they can surely work, so we can also have state farms where those who have no money should do a certain number of hours and then be given land. This land should be planned with provision for roads and schools. It may not necessarily be in lusaka but in conjuction with chiefs in villages. Then all those occupying land illegally can then be arrested and while law abiding citizens will be settled by settlement agency.

    So far we are exhibitin signs of a people who have failed to think. I live in europe and have seen that problems are everywhere, the difference is that others think through the problem while others become victims of problem.

  3. Although I do appreciate the need to avoid for such needless killing, people in Zambia seem not to appreciate what ownership of land means. It is commonplace for anyone to just move into someone else’s land and expect the government to support such lawlessness. This tragedy will hopefully remind all the illegal occupants of land that it is time to vacate. Poverty cannot be an excuse to just take what does not belong to you. The law applies both ways. A thief is a thief, whether rich or poor.

  4. finding it very hard to hold back tears

    mwe bantu imwe sure, how do sane people turn such bereavement into political campaign grounds.

    Lord God please return our Natural African Sanity back

  5. WHAT HAS GONE WRONG WITH GOD FEARING ZAMBIANS. HOW CAN YOU SHOOT A HUMAN BEING LIKE YOU ARE SHOOTING A BUFFALO? SHAME. MAY WHOEVER IS INVOLVED BE CURSED.

  6. You remain in my prayers my brothers who got executed under instruments of state violence. God is seeing what is happening and be assured that something is in the pipeline if repentance does not come soon. Innocence is powerful before the throne of the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, the Creator of life and in whom we move and have our being.

  7. Where is police and DPP while this is happenning. Justice should prevail. The officer or officers who shot these people dead must be tried in the courts so that the truth of what happened can come out.

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