Two suspected abductors of mobile money agent Pamela Chisumpa and 12 others have been committed to the High Court for trial.
This is after the two suspects appeared in the Lusaka Magistrate Court for reading of charges levelled against them.
The two James Mulenga and Matthews Sikaonga were this morning committed to the High Court by Resident Magistrate Trevour Kasanda.
This followed the presentation of the Certificate of Committal from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions by Senior State Advocate Bob Mwewa.
In this matter James Mulenga and Matthews Sikaonga are facing 53 counts of aggravated robbery, assault, rape and trafficking in persons.
Mr. Mulenga 22 and Mr. Sikaonga 22, both of Lusaka’s Chalala are expected to take plea after the consent of their prosecution by the Director of Public Prosecution.
The two allegedly unlawfully trafficked Pamela Chisumpa on April 13th in Lusaka, besides other offences.
Mr .Mulenga and Mr. Sikaonga also allegedly assaulted and caused bodily harm to Pamela Chisumpa.
Among other indictments they are also accused of having raped Faith Maluti in Lusaka between March and October.
On 3rd October, 2022, the Zambia Police Service rescued 13 girls who were held captive in a house in Lusaka’s Chalala area, this was after a long-protracted investigation that was continuously pursued by the Zambia Police Service since April this year when one of the victims who was a mobile money booth operator Pamela Chisupa was abducted along Cairo Road in Lusaka.
The Police arrested Five people in connection with the abduction, where three were arrested from Lusaka, the house in Chalala where the victims were being held captive and two were arrested in Kaoma Western Province.
Meanwhile, reports indicated that the suspected abductors who were on the run, Matthews Sikaonga and James Bwalya have been arrested in Kaoma Western Province as they wanted to cross into Angola, according to a video that has gone viral on various social media platforms.
One of the suspected abductors after being caught apologized to the family of the kidnapped girls for abducting and killing their relatives stating that the only thing that they wanted was money, as the money which they were supposed to get was a lot of money and they planned on leaving the country using the same money.
“We were just the two of us in this act and the person arrested in Lusaka is innocent as he was just the landlord,” he added
After the 13 abducted girls were rescued, on 8th October, 2022, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services announced in a statement that it has taken over the welfare of the 13 survivors of abduction following the completion of their medical examinations.
Minister of Community Development and Social Services Doreen Mwamba, stated that the Ministry through the Department of Social Welfare has provided a Place of Safety as mandated in the provisions of the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act No.1 of 2011 and Anti- Human Trafficking Act No. 11 of 2008.
Ms Mwamba noted that the young ladies are currently in good spirit after undergoing medical checkups to ascertain their health statuses and establish the extent of their sexual exploitation and abuse.
She, however, stated that the traumatic experience of the abductions caused huge psychological effects on the mental health of the survivors adding that there is need to subject the young ladies to trauma and psychosocial therapy in a Place of Safety as part of the healing process.
“The Case Management processes which will be carried out by the social workers from the Ministry alongside other professional psychologists from Chainama Hospital, will focus on psychological wellness and general welfare on a case-by-case basis,” she explained.
Ms Mwamba disclosed that the Ministry is working closely with the gender division as well as Non-Governmental Organisations to ensure that all supplies are provided to the survivors in order to safeguard their stay in the Place of Safety.
“Criminal investigations by Zambia Police have continued to ensure the culprits are brought to book,” she said
And on 21st October, 2022, the Minister of Community Development and Social Services Doreen Mwamba said that the 13 young women who were rescued from the abductors have been reintegrated with their families.
Ms Mwamba stated that the young women underwent psychosocial and mental therapy under the auspices of Social Welfare Officers and Mental Health Practitioners from 7th to 14thOctober, 2022 in a designated Place of Safety.
She added that the families of the young women who also underwent counseling, were at hand to receive the survivors in their custody and have since travelled back to their respective areas.
How only 2 men managed to cage 13 ladies for that long leaves a lot of un answered questions. 13 against 2 is a really good number to take advantage of the situation. No guns were recovered from the area the girls were rescued meaning the ladies had a chance to overpower the two men. secondly how the landlord is innocent in this matter is shocking and if people apart from the abductors lived in the same fence how the girls never shouted for help is another mind boggling issue. what was the one arrested at the crime scene doing there in the first place?. i dont believe only 2 men did this, all their aids have to be in prison too.