On Monday afternoon a group of Zambian police forces outfitted with riot gear sealed off the home resident of opposition party Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) President Nevers Mumba while conducting a search.
About 30 heavily armed police officers arrived at Mumba’s residence house number 17C Midleway Kabulonga at around 15:00 hours and sealed off the premises where the MMD National Executive Committee (NEC) was having a meeting.
According to police Criminal Investiagtions Detective (CID) Christopher Mumbuna who led the police, the officers were looking for MMD youths, Scorpion, Kadobi and Bowman Lusambo who allegedly assaulted expelled national secretary Major Richard Kachingwe.
The incident followed this weekend’s dramatic press conference by Maj. Kachingwe in which he purported to challenge the validity of the presidency of Dr. Mumba, resulting in his expulsion from the party.
The police could not however enter the premises because they did not have a police warrant.
After about an hour of waiting, Mumba went outside the gate to tell to tell the police to leave as they were invading his privacy.
“I am very surprised that you have come here in numbers and I am told that you are looking for Scorpion, Kadobi and Bowman. But MMD members don’t stay at their President’s house. There is my wife and children inside the house and they are traumatized to see all these guns,” he said.
“We can not live in a country like this. Even you can not allow this at your house and I don’t take kindly to this.”
He told the detectives that he had spoken to the Inspector General of police and that he had advised him to ask the police to leave.
“I have spoken to the IG and she says you can leave because the people you are looking for are not here,” Mumba said.
But Mumbuna said he would not take instruction from Mumba.
“I can not believe what is coming from you as Nevers Mumba, if the IG wants us to leave this place, there is a channel of communication that would be used to inform us about that decision but i will not leave this place. I am just waiting for a search warrant and once its here, no one will stop me. Whoever will stop me will be committing a felony becaue I have seen the people I a looking for inside there, I can not come here from without, I have seen them,” Mumbuna said.
Later Mumba allowed the police to conduct a search without a warant but his wife blocked the police officers and demanded that they get the document.
After a warrant was presented, the officers went on with the search inside that lasted about 30 minutes.
Later the officers informed Mumba that they were grateful for allowing them to search his premises although they did not find what they were looking for.