By ALEX NJOVUPOLICE on the Copperbelt have arrested four more people for allegedly participating in the riots that rocked Chambishi town over the weekend in which four businessmen suspected to be involved in ritual murders were burnt to death.
This brings to 114 the number of people arrested for allegedly participating in the riots and looting of goods.
Copperbelt commissioner of police Mary Tembo said in an interview in Kalulushi yesterday that the four suspects were arrested in Chambishi town on Sunday evening.
Ms. Tembo said the four suspects were found in possession of property suspected to have been looted from one of the four burnt shops.
She also said the 110 suspects who were earlier detained at Kamfinsa State Prison have been transferred to various police stations in Kitwe and that the screening process is still going on.
“Four more people have been arrested, some of them were found with upright fridges. We have not yet released anyone because we are still screening them, some of them will be released after the whole process is concluded,” Mrs Tembo said.
A check by the Zambia Daily Mail crew in Chambishi found police in full riot gear keeping vigil while people were going about their business normally.
On Saturday, police on the Copperbelt arrested 110 residents of
Chambishi, mostly women and children, after they looted shops and burnt another businessman allegedly involved in ritual killings.
And KANGWA MULENGA reports that Copperbelt Province Minister Mwenya Musenge wants action to be taken against police officers in Chambishi Township for failing to quell the weekend riots.
Mr. Musenge said police officers knew about the riots a day before and could not do anything about it.
And Mr. Musenge has condemned the people in Chambishi for killing four people they accused of practising Satanism.
“As government we want to condemn the police in Chambishi for acting unprofessionally. They could have prevented the riot if they took work seriously because they knew a day before that people planned a riot,” Mr. Musenge said.
He was speaking at a press briefing held at his office in Ndola yesterday.
The provincial minister called for total overhaul of police officers in Chambishi Township.
He said there are no reports of ritual killings in Chambishi Township and wondered why innocent people were attacked without the police preventing such acts.
“The police could have acted swiftly to prevent the riots from happening because they had that information about the planned riots and killing of innocent people,” Mr. Musenge said.
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