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Zambia: Many feared injured as UPND, PF supporters clash in court

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An unspecified number of people have been reported injured following a clash between supporters of Zambia’s ruling party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), and main opposition party, the Patriotic Front (PF), during a court session at the Lusaka High Court on Wednesday.

Reports say the protest was sparked following a petition filed by a Lusaka-based youth activist, Michelo Chizombe, who urged the Constitutional Court to declare former President Edgar Lungu ineligible for future elections.

It was gathered that during the court proceedings, a group of protesters suspected to be University of Zambia students, arrived the premises of High Court wearing black T-shirts and chanting ‘No third term! No to corruption!’

Tension reportedly arose when a popular PF member, Peter Kashala, also known as Peter ‘ma chain’, was detained by police for allegedly assaulting a female individual who claimed to be a student, which elicited anger among other students present.

One Titus Musonda Chisha, said to be a student at UNZA, who spoke with journalists, cautioned that political cadres should refrain from involvement in matters of sensitive national importance.

“For me, the scenario that has evolved here is that issues that concern national interest, like this one, I do not expect cadres to be here fighting students.

“We are coming from a university where as students, we are concerned with such issues and we do not expect cadres to come to a place like this without any understanding.

“They are fighting students because they do not understand what is happening here, that is why they are causing commotion. I can confirm that one of our students was beaten by cadres.

“What we are doing is sending a message to politicians that when we are having such cases, please do not bring cadres here, bring people that understand such issues,” Chisha said.

Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

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Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

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Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

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The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.

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