By CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Government has unearthed a scam in which a named traditional leader is funding youths to damage public property.
Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo warned the traditional ruler in question to stop those clandestine activities forthwith before he is arrested as no one was above the law.
Mr Kampyongo told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that he did not want to mention the traditional leader due to respect, but that the Government was vigilantly watching his ‘terrorist’ activities, which law-enforcers would aggressively tackle.
“There is one of our traditional leaders who unfortunately is engaged in these clandestine activities and is behind the funding of some of these terrorist activities of destabilising our public installations,” the minister said.
“My warning to him is that no one is above the law and out of respect, our advice to him is to stop what he’s doing because we are monitoring his activities very closely and the public shouldn’t be surprised if they hear us pouncing on one of our traditional leaders who has opted to engage in these wrong activities.”
Mr Kampyongo said the Government had credible information on where the ‘local terrorists’ were meeting and what they were planning to do.
The minister said the wrath of the law would this time not only end at visiting those that were being used to destroy public installations, but that it would be extended to their funder.
“I am warning them that this time we are ahead of them and we are not going to spare them. Terrorism is fought with all the force that it deserves and that’s how it’s going to be – no kid gloves, no arresting and playing around with people, it’s going to be aggressive,” he said.
Some parts of the country have in the recent past experienced suspected acts of sabotage involving the destruction of public installations and buildings.
Meanwhile, Mr Kampyongo appealed to the citizenry to desist from engaging in unZambian activities like that which happened in Lusaka’s Makeni Villa recently where a woman was beaten and stripped naked on suspicion that she was having an affair with another woman’s husband.
He also implored the public to enjoy the holiday responsibly by avoiding activities that could endanger their lives such as driving while drinking alcohol.