‘Dead man’ resurfaces, in shock (Graphic pictures)

NOEL IYOMBWA writes

LUSAKA resident Febian Banda is in shock. He was believed to be dead and a funeral for him was in full bloom at his parents’ house in Garden House when he suddenly appeared in full work cloths.

The house of mourning turned into a scene of wild jubilation.

A partly burnt body of an unidentified man was found near his home on Saturday morning.

His family and members of the community were convinced it was him since he had not arrived home from work yet.

Febian’s mournful father, Luckson Banda, reported to nearby Plainview police post that his son had been murdered and his body partially burnt on the edge of Zesco Limited’s high voltage power line.

It was only when Febian arrived home from work full of life that it dawned on his father and members of the community that they had made a ‘mortal’ mistake after all.

Now police are relying on the community to help identify the victim, who is believed to have been murdered and dumped in the area by unknown people during the night.

“On Friday afternoon I left home for work in the industries, but I did not indicate that I was going to work overnight. So when I knocked off in the early hours I couldn’t start off from work because I was scared as it was not safe to walk that time.

“So I had to wait until it was sunrise. That’s how I left the industrial area around 09:00 hours,” a shaken Febian told the Sun.

When he disembarked from Garden House market, he was surprised to see people expressing shock upon seeing him.

“When I asked one man what was happening, he told me that people thought I was the person who had been discovered dead that morning.

“I was shocked because I did not know that there was a person who had been found dead in our neighborhood. At this point, I was touched with what was happening and had no words but just to cry. Up to now I am still in shock. That is why I have just been home from morning,” Febian said.

He, however, expressed sadness that someone had been killed and yet no one had identify the body.

His mother, Mrs Banda, could not hide the happiness and joy she felt after discovering that her son was alive after all.

She said when she heard that a man had been found dead, she asked her husband to go and verify since their son had left the house the previous afternoon and had not returned.

Mrs Banda narrated that few minutes later, Mr Banda returned in a confused state. Immediately, she started crying and rushed to the scene.

She attributed the misidentification to the similarities in the dead man’s and her son, Febian’s looks.

“He looked exactly like my son. I wanted to verify by checking the teeth, but I was restrained from doing so because the police had not yet checked the body,” she explained.

Mrs Banda said at that point everyone was convinced that it was her beloved Febian.

Her husband accompanied the body to the police post and later to the mortuary while she went back home and held a funeral.

Mrs Banda said she was shocked to see a group of people celebrating and heading towards her house with a visibly traumatised Febian.

“The person who was found dead looked exactly like my son, but I wanted to check his teeth because my son has a broken tooth. But I wasn’t allowed to do so because the police had not yet checked the body,” she said.

“While we were mourning at home, I saw a group of people singing, among them was my son. I could not believe what I saw. I thought It was a joke, but unfortunately my husband had already reached the mortuary and all the necessary documents where registered in my son’s name. We could not stop him because he did not have a mobile phone,” she said.

Police are now in fix as they have to change the particulars on the documents at the police post and the mortuary.

The body has not yet been identified.

The infamous Fluffies gang of teen criminals thathas been terrorizing Kanyama Township have also been occasionally attacking residents in Plainvew and CK Marble area where the body was found.

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