Deputy Malawi Army chief, police in late night fracas
Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Deputy Commander Griffin Supuni Phiri was involved in midnight fracas with police at his Area 43 residence in Lilongwe on Wednesdaynight.
Reports indicate that the deputy MDF chief was involved in a brawl with police officers investigating a robbery.
Police sources said Supuni-Phiri was briefly detained after verbal and physical exchanges.
In separate interviews, Both National Police spokesperson Rhoda Manjolo and MDF spokesperson Francis Kakhuta Banda confirmed the fracas involving the deputy Army commander.
However, neither the police nor MDF could immediately confirm reports of a brawl or reports of a brief arrest.
“We can confirm that police received a report of an incident at the deputy Army commander’s residence which we are currently investigating,” said Manjolo while pledging to come up with details of the incident later.
On his part, Kakhuta-Banda confirmed “a misunderstanding had ensued between police officers and the deputy commander”, but said the matter had been resolved.
Sources said the incident happened following a robbery at the house of the deputy commander’s neighbour where a security guard is reported to have fled the scene and jumped into Supuni-Phiri’s compound.
The guard, from a private security company, was apprehended in the compound and taken back to the house where uniformed and civilian police from rapid response units had arrived following distress calls from the attacked family, according to sources.
It was then that Supuni-Phiri is alleged to have been embroiled in a fracas with police, but it is not clear whether the deputy MDF commander had identified himself to the police.
Supuni-Phiri was recently appointed deputy commander to replace John Msonthi Junior who was replaced alongside former MDF commander Henry Odillo.
The incident, coming hot on the heels of the recent shooting of an MDF soldier in Zomba by police patrol officers, has raised fears of tensions between the two security agencies.
The development may further raise questions about the security of top government officials amid uncertainty of presence of security detail for the senior army officer during the incident.
Dont we house military heads in barracks?
No, not at all. They reside in prestine suburbs. For example, Area 47 is flooded with loads of top military brass So too do Police Chiefs.
u see Lloyd top military bosses like supuni work and have offices at capital hill not at the barracks. they are therefore executives not just normal soldiers. they dont stay at the barracks.
Very stupid for the whole deputy commander of the army to get into a fracas with the police. Was he drunk?
Stupid security institutions (army and police) for Malawi….how can an entire deputy commander be involved in such fracas? Is it on for such a high ranking to reside in surbubs and not at senior staff quarters in the barracks? Akanamuomberanso nanga? Musatibowepo apa! Mxiiiew!!!
Chavuta ndichani kuti supuni asalowerepo? ngati mulonda amathawira kwa supini amadziwa kuti kuli mfuti … chitetezo chilipo … zitsilu ndi apolosi….akanakhala bwana wanu ( IG) a army aka nampatsa ulemu komanso they could have helped……my thinking is apolice alibe proper strategy yopangila approach anthu or investigation that skill alibe……zinthu zikusintha everyday .. akuba akusintha ma strategy now and then….now apolice munthu akangoyankha ndi umunthu wawo because they arent well trained and education level too low amawona ngati munthu akuderera while not …….thats crazy
ngati wa army akukhala ku 10 or 47 nde kuti kubaracks ko manyumba kulibe kufanana ndi rank kapena manphuro ake…
OUR POLICE they way is handling cases or issues is not on…….they are showing an professionalism .. even in this situation they were supposed to give respect to the high ranking man having know that they are in same service of protect the public…. ..I cant see any problem here…. Love one another you are called to SERVE THE PUBLIC