COMACO worker’s house burnt

PETER SICHALI writes

UNKNOWN People have set ablaze a house belonging to a Community Market for Conservation (COMACO) employee in Mafinga district destroying property valued at over K29,000 , Muchinga  Province Commissioner of Police Joel Njase has said.

Mr Njase said the incident happened on Saturday around 12:00 hours at Chifunda Village in Chief Muyombe’s area.

He said Webster Kaira, 47, of the same village, who is employed as a cooperative chairperson of COMACO, reported that his thatched house had been set ablaze by unknown people when he and his wife were away attending a funeral in a neighbouring village.

“He allegedly reported that his grass thatched house was burnt to ashes by unknown persons and he strongly suspects men within his neighborhood or those from nearby villages,” Mr Njase said.

He said a motorbike, which is the property for COMACO valued at K 13,000, two  Buffalo bicycles valued at K 9,000 and household goods valued at K 7,025 all amounting to K29,025 were burnt.

“The brief facts are s that the victim is an employee for COMACO, an NGO whose primary objectives are to conserve wildlife and natural resources, employees under this NGO work closely with Department of Wildlife and National Parks and Forestry offices. In this regard the community has cited him to be a sell-out working in conjunction with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks officers in apprehending them for possession of illegal fire arms,” he said.

Mr Njase said COMACO had also been carrying out sensitisation campaigns educating rural communities on the negative effects of indiscriminate killing of wildlife and also depletion of natural resources and encouraging the community members to surrender the illegal firearms.

Mr Njase said Mr Kaira and his wife went to attend a funeral at Chimung’ontho Village and the suspects seized the opportunity to set ablaze his house in protest against his collaboration with Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

He said Mr Kaira’s children who remained at home saw the fire and informed the people in the neighbourhood who came and partly extinguished it.

“Acting on this report, officers visited the crime scene and observed that the house was completely burnt. The motorbike and other household goods were burnt to ashes,” Mr Njase said.

He said the officers had collected the burnt property and taken it to the police station where they were keeping it kept them as exhibits.

Mr Njase said it was suggestive that the arson was committed by people who knew that the victim had gone to attend a funeral.

A docket of the case had been opened and investigation haD been instituted.to ashes.

He said officers collected debris of the burnt property and have since been kept them as exhibits.

Mr Njase said police managed to apprehend Erious while his young brother Malizyani was still on the run.