UPND ‘demonizes’ police action

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has described the warn and caution statement Police recorded from party leader Hakainde Hichilema as ‘manufactured bogus’.

Mr Mweetwa who is also UPND Choma Central Member of Parliament (MP) charged that the move by Police to summon the UPND leader for questioning at Woodlands Police station in Lusaka yesterday was politically motivated.

He claimed that the conduct exhibited by the Police officers at Woodlands Police station illustrated that Zambia had become a Police state under President Michael Chilufya Sata.

Mr Mweetwa said in an interview with ZANIS in Choma today that UPND would not be intimidated by the Police but instead continue to highlight the various challenges the people of Zambia were experiencing.

“The UPND is aware that the conduct of the police officers exhibited yesterday is politically motivated, but as UPND we shall not be intimidated, rather we will forge ahead and denounce the failure by the PF government to fulfill their election promises to the people of Zambia”, he said

He said the escalating mealie meal prices in the country were among the major challenges which the UPND would not relent to highlight.

Mr Mweetwa noted that the number of police officers who were deployed at Woodlands Police station for Mr Hichilema’s questioning Monday was not necessary adding that  the warn and caution statement recorded on him proved that the Police had a different agenda.

“the fact that the Police could not place any charges on Mr Hichilema is clear indication that they had a different agenda  which they could not foster probably due to intimidation by the UPND cadres who turned up in large numbers to support their leader”, he said.

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema yesterday appeared for questioning at Woodlands Police station in Lusaka were a warn and caution statement was recorded.