By Staff Writer
A mob in Solwezi has killed a-49-year old man of Stadium area on allegation of being a ritual killer.
Cosmas Shaba the former Director of Finance for North-Western Water of Stadium area had parked his vehicle somewhere with a lady with him.
Sadly, the community suspected the duo to be behind spraying of the unknown chemicals in homes and was how everyone pounced on them.
Northwestern Province Commissioner of Police Hudson Namachila has confirmed the incident and identified the deceased as Cosmas Shaba of Stadium area.
The incident happened last night between 19:00 and 20:00 hours at Mashimpi area on the Kansanshi by pass road.
Mr Namachila said a-19 year-old woman identified as Naomi Mulusa who was in the same vehicle with the deceased sustained a swollen face, back ache and headache and is currently admitted at Solwezi General hospital.
Mr Namachila said the mob descended on the deceased with sharp instruments after accusing him of being one of the people that are spraying chemicals.
He said police visited the scene and found the body lying in the bush with multiple cuts on the head.
Mr Namachila said the body has since been deposited in Solwezi general hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem.
This is the third person to be killed by mob justice in the province in a space of two weeks on suspicion of being a ritual killer.
Mr Namachila has since reiterated his call on the public to handover suspects to the nearest police station to avoid loss of innocent lives.
“Police will not stop appealing to the public to the public to handover suspects to the police to avoid loss of innocent lives,” he said.
He said police has deployed patrol units in all the 11 districts of the province to pursue and arrest suspects of chemical spraying but that instance justice mob is defeating this purpose.
Mr Namachila noted that the community breakdown has become a security hazard to everyone giving a leeway for criminals to continue with their acts.
“I pray that communities will understand our predicament in this way, this public behavior had created enough room for chemical attacks to continue because everyone is afraid of everyone else, everyone has become a suspect and a candidate of death”, he said.
He has since appealed to community leaders at all levels to address their respective communities and restore human cohesion by fighting this new type of crime together.
“I appeal to community leaders such as pastors, headmen, Councillors, MPs, chiefs and market chairpersons to talk to their respective communities and rebuild the social fabric to restore human cohesion and fight this new type of crime together as one,” he said.
