Its not an accident but sabotage- Police
15th July, 2017
ZAMBIA Police has apprehended eleven suspected arsonists in connection to the City Market inferno that gutted over one third of the market.
Updating the nation on the on going investigation that has left thousands of traders in despair, police Inspector General Kakoma Kangaja said joint investigations carried out by Zesco, police and the fire brigade have proved the act as sabortage.
Mr Kanganja said investigation had immediately ruled out an electrical fault because the point of ignition for the fire has had no power for a couple of days and on the morning of the unfortunate incident.
“The cause of fire is a deliberate ignition…we eliminate the possibility of electrical fault as the stand were the inferno started (stand 238) had no power on the day and days before,” Mr Kangaja said.
He added that investigation have been progressing well and police had arrested and detained 11 suspects so far who are also aiding in investigation.
Mr Kangaja emphasised that the inferno that gutted City Market was a deliberate arson attempt.
Earlier in the week State House Spokesperson Amos Chanda had revealed that the inferno that gutted City Market was an act of sabotage meant to cripple the economy.
Mr Chanda had explained that State House via executive privilege was aware of some of the investigation results that had been pointing to arson and thus President Edgar Lungu had to make a decision to curb the lawlessness before the situation went out of hand.
On July 4th 2017, President Lungu invoked Article 31; state of threatened public emergency, giving police more power to carry out investigations and return sanity and order to the nation.
Both the business world and even the church have welcomed the move noting that if the situation persisted it would lead to a state of emergency.
The latest organisation to welcome the move are the Catholic Bishops as they also noted that arson and sabotage were at play designed to cripple the nation.
