Zambia Police spokesperson Esther Mwata Katongo has disclosed that investigations regarding recent cases of gassing are still ongoing.
Speaking in an interview on UNZA Radio’s Lusaka Star programme yesterday, Katongo said police investigations involving the apprehended suspects who are still appearing in court have indicated that the gassings were systematically planned operations sponsored by a single mastermind with a specific intent yet to be established.
We have not conclusively investigated this matter because we want to get to the bottom of it as part of our investigations indicated some level of planning; most of those who have been apprehended are those who were implementing what was being planned and the police are working on finding the main mastermind.
And for your own information, when these people were planning, they were told not to disclose to anyone who was funding them to implement.
said Katongo.
Meanwhile, the police spokesperson hinted on the coming police operations were members of the public who are not putting on masks and not observing the Covid-19 preventative measures while in public places will be apprehended and be put in Imboila stadium for failure to comply to statutory instruments number 21 and 22 of 2020.
“I will reveal to the members of the public that this is a warning to them; last week Friday, we planned to have an operation were we wanted to go around public places and pick up those without masks but it was realized that we first need to continue with the sensitization,” said Katongo.
She further urged members of the public who are still owning firearms illegally to handover the firearms to the police in line with this year’s Africa Freedom day theme dubbed “Silencing the Guns: Creating conducive conditions for Africa’s Development.”
The police spokesperson said those who handover the illegally owned firearms would be given a token of appreciation adding that people were free to hand them over without being charged or prosecuted for now.