Inspector-General of Police Kakoma Kanganja has warned suspected United Party for National Development UPND cadres who stormed a registration center in Chitamba village in Lukashya of Northern Province.
The cadres are alleged to have destroyed some machinery being used during the ongoing mobile National Registration card exercise, stealing some equipment as well as beating up officers they found at the center.
In a statement to the media, Mr. Kanganja said that the police condemn the action taken by suspected UPND Cadres and that the action taken by UPND cadres to search the registration office and steal equipment is a big setback to the process being undertaken countrywide and cannot be condoned.
Mr. Kanganja said police are open and ready to receive complaints from anyone concerned regarding the exercise if there are any suspicions or concerns.
He said police will follow this matter to the latter and will take punitive action against all those found wanting.
The Police Inspector-General has also called on Zambians to respect Government workers who have sacrificed to perform this noble task of serving members of the public through the issuance of National Registration Cards unlike victimizing them.
Below is the full statement
Lusaka/14th September 2020.
I wish to sound a strong and timely warning to the suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) Cadres who stormed a registration centre in Chitamba village in Lukashya of Northern Province on 13th September, 2020 and destroyed some machinery being used during the on -going mobile National Registration card (NRC) exercise, stealing some equipment as well as beating up officers they found at the centre.
As Police , we strongly condemn the action taken by suspected UPND Cadres. We are all aware that the mobile registration exercise is not a hidden process because there has been maximum publicity about this activity way back before this process was commenced. Further, this exercise is being done in broad day light and not at night.
Therefore , the action taken by UPND cadres to ransack the registration office and steal equipment is a bid draw back to this process being undertaken fountrywide and can not be condoned.
If there are any suspicions or concerns, police are open and ready to receive complaints from anyone concerned regarding the exercise.
In addition, this process has no bearing on the by-elections currently taking place in Lukanshya and Mwansabombwe Constituencies but it is being done in preparation for the 2021 general elections. It is therefore disheartening to note that Political Parties that pledged to maintain peace during and after the by elections are the ones in the forefront perpetuating violence.
I wish to warn that police will follow this matter to the latter and will take punitive action against all those found wanting.
Let us respect Government workers who have sacrificed to perform this noble task of serving members of the public through issuance of National Registration Cards unlike victimising them.
KAKOMA KANGANJA
INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE
Meanwhile PF caders are terrorizing fellow Zambian citizens all over the country and Kanjanga does nothing to stop it
Police must concern themselves with maintaining law and order among MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC, IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS OR BELIEFS. The moment you have a police chief labelling any suspected law breaker as a political party member rather than a SUSPECT, it means the police are identifying themselves as ANTI that “cadre’s” political party. This is typical of incompetent servicemen who are devoid of security intel to know which way the wind is blowing!
I hv no problem with seizing the equipment if there suspicions about wht was going on but I draw the line at its destruction. If there citizens who hv any suspicion about wht should be an ordinary state function, those suspicions can be dealt with by openness.
How about the people who killed Mapenzi Chibulo? I repeat the word Killing, something which is more serious than NRC cards
These are the types of savages we are dealing with in upnd. A bunch of animals. Their excuse of a leader turns a blind eye because he is a criminal desperate to win elections after a record 5 losses. Meanwhile the f00l was busy insulting at a rally and yet this morning he is busy quoting bible verses on his social media. Now if that is not a CHIKAIA then I don’t know what is.
OUR MEN IN UNIFORM SHOULD APPLY THE LAW EQUITABLY AND PROFESSIONALLY..
THEN THEY WILL BE ORDER.
QUOTE: He said police will follow this matter to the latter and will take punitive action against all those found wanting.
IS IT THE DUTY OF POLICE TO PUNISH OFFENDERS? I THOUGHT THAT SHOULD THE DUTY FOR THE COURTS OF LAW. THATS WHY THIS ARRESTS DURING ELECTIONS ARE ONLY MEANT TO PUNISH THE OPPOSITION, WHY IS IT THAT MOST OF THESE ARRESTS END AS NOLLE PRO?
@Nemwine
CAN YU ELABORATE?
WHY SHOULD ANYONE WAIT FOR HH TO BE IN TOWN TO CARRY OUT YOUR SO CALLED “SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES”?
You dont act when PF thugs are breaking the law .
Kakaiza zezulu, you have no moral fiber in your bones and sinews to talk about law abiding. You havemade the police to be inept. SO in the eyes of the ordinary Zambian, take the law in their hands.
Now coming to you, spineless twerp, the long list of wrongs you have done to the Zambian people, beating up a lady at a gas station, beating and threating people at a lodge, etc these matters have not been forgotten. We are patient enough to wait for the right time, and it is fast approaching, brace yourself for it.
To start with, i do not support lawlessness of any kind but on this one i squarely 100% blame goes to govt, why do i say so? you can’t have two serious functions at the same time (elections and NRC issuance). The later should have been put on hold. Do we have someone in-charge or things are on auto pilot? Lets not push citizens into deliberate traps
To start with, i do not support lawlessness of any kind but on this one – squarely 100% blame goes to govt, why do i say so? you can’t have two serious functions at the same time (elections and NRC issuance). The later should have been put on hold. Do we have someone in-charge or things are on auto pilot? Lets not push citizens into deliberate traps
An illegality is an illegality UPND is becoming unbecoming and desperate when something is wrong it is wrong.Its wrong for someone to destroy government property or machine let us try to show a bit civility on matters like this.
PF fake news to try to cover the videos doing the rounds on SM of PF thugs beating and torturing anyone one wearing opposition colours ……
QUOTE;He said police will follow this matter to the latter and will take punitive action against all those found wanting.
ITS THE COURTS DUTY TO MET PUNITIVE MEASURES ON OFFENDERS AND NOT THE POLICE.
PF fake news to try to cover the videos doing the rounds on SM of PF thugs beating and torturing anyone one wearing opposition colours ……
Just resign immediately! you are supposed to be the IG for the country not only for the PF…3 days ago innocent people almost died in a house fire caused by the PF thugs no one said anything. You did not offer any statements to the public. Now because this has something to do with the PF, you are active again..
We are tired of you all…
PF must go….so that we can have real people with real qualifications do the work.
This is embarrassing.
An alarming attempt by PF to try to divert people’s attention away from the videos of PF thugs torturing people found in UPND colours and of PF thugs destroying property……
PF fake news.
Bamudala chipuba.. NRC are not for 2021 elections. If so then political parties can be involved.
He should have said NRC are simply important , for example to distribute Covid relief funds etc. Manje ubukopo ba mwankole.
All Zambians deserves NRC.
Ba UPND muli bar-fee-color together with your demi-god oval head!
Won’t these characters suffer the same fate that was once meted on Obvious Mwaliteta?? Let’s wait and see..
Police Chief Kakoma Kanganja is toothless bulldog. Why must you issue warming to criminals. You have seen the damage, you have witnesses and you know the criminals. Go and arrest these criminals.
Kanjanji is cadre chap
Okay umufyashi Sata really messed up to leave the instructions of power with Lungu. Now look at our country. We are lost like we don’t even have educated people to control the economy. Ba Lusambo nomba eba economist. Kwena kuti waseka. We shouldn’t blame anybody but ourselves when Zambia becomes a Zimbabwe.
If a citizen or group of citizens suspect(s) that a public office is doing wht it is not supposed to do, wht options are open to that/those citizen(s)? And if a public office has information that suggests that a citizen or citizens are questioning wht it is doing, hw is that public office supposed to respond? This is wht this matter boils dwn to. Public offices are supposed to be trusted by all citizens.
Did you also warn those issuing NRCs to underage children with wrong dates and to foreigners?
This is another embellishment. It is from this that they are creating trumped up charges of ‘aggravated robbery’ against UPND campaign officials. More have been picked up this evening. After realising the popularity of the opposition candidate, PF is in panic mood – using the Police to try and find an excuse to halt the Lukashya elections. No govt. mouth piece is reporting on this