Gun-wielding cadet arrested
Police in Lilongwe Thursday arrested a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadre for being seen in possession of a gun at a function organised by Ben Phiri, former aide of President Peter Mutharika,
Phiri, who is DPP Director of Operations, on Sunday launched football, netball and bawo trophies in his home district of Thyolo where the ‘cadet’, identified as Noel Kaiya, clad in a DPP T-shirt, was seen with a gun posing as one of Phiri’s security detail.
Family members yesterday confirmed the arrest of Kaiya saying that he was picked at 3 o’clock in the morning at his Area 49 home and is being held at Kanengo Police Station for questioning.
But police Thursday could neither deny nor confirm the arrest of Kaiya.
Kanengo Police spokesperson, Laban Makalani, referred this reporter to James Kadadzera, National Police spokesperson, for details on the matter. Kadadzera, declined to confirm too but insisted that the investigations are going on.
But insiders at National Police Headquarters said the arrest is being treated as high profile because Kaiya is “suspected to be an operative of Phiri”.
Phiri, who in recent times seems to have fallen out of favour in the party, said he knows Kaiya since they come from the same village in Thyolo,
He, however, distanced himself from him saying that he is not his security man and that he only saw him from the pictures that were awash on social media.
“There were over 5,000 people at the function and I could not know the detail of everyone. Matter of fact is I do not have bodyguards as some people are saying. And you might wish to know that where the function was being conducted is just 500 metres from my home, so I did not need any security, it is my home area,” he said.
Our efforts to get comments from the DPP on whether the party is arming its cadets proved futile.
The party spokesperson, Francis Kasaila, could not be reached on his two mobile phones.
When we reached Party Secretary General, Greselder Jeffrey on the phone, she said she could not comment because she had a sore throat.
DPP’s Regional Governor for the Southern Region, Charles Mchacha, simply switched off his phone after the issue was brought to his attention.
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