Police urge security during demos
Lilongwe Police Station community policing coordinator Gift Mzembe has asked Devil Street vendors to ensure security of their property during tomorrow’s demonstrations.
The remarks follow disruptive protests last Wednesday in Lilongwe in which 76 people, including eight Human Rights Ambassadors leaders, were arrested for disregarding a court order and inciting violence.
The eight were granted bail on Monday.
But speaking on Wednesday during an interface meeting with the Devil Street vendors in Area 1, Mzembe said there was a need to strategise on safety and security of the businesses during tomorrow’s protests, which are led by the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives demanding President Lazarus Chakwera to scrap off his immunity.
He said: “You need to be alert as most people take advantage of the protests and loot your property. As police, we’ve also implemented several mechanisms to protect you from looters.”
On his part, Devil Street vendors chairperson Mallan Nyirenda said they have already urged shop owners to close their shops and be on guard.
“We’ve warned them against operating businesses tomorrow. We never know what these demonstrators are up to. We tend to suffer during demos but, luckily for us here, we were not affected by last Wednesday’s demos, thanks to massive police presence,” he said.
In a separate interview, Mweru Gondwe, a businessperson at Kandikole in Area 36, said some protesters ransacked his shop during 20 July 2022 demonstration.
Echoing his sentiments, a Nigerial Evangelist Joseph Eberechukwu, whose grocery shop in Area 36 was also targeted, called on the police to deploy more officers in strategic places.
