By NATION REPORTER
OPPOSITION political parties have called for immediate and thorough investigations into the attack of Chilufya Tayali, the president of Equity and Economic Progress (EEP) by people believed to be state agents on a mission to cause unknown harm to the opposition leader.
The Patriotic Front (PF), the Socialist Party (SP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are all claiming that the raiding of Mr Tayali’s home by people armed with specilised weapons only used by the Military Special Forces should attract the interest of the State.
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Emmanuel Mwamba of the PF, Frank Bwalya of the SP, Saboi Imboela of the NDC, Sean Tembo of the PeP and Kasonde Mwenda of the EFF are all demanding that the Zambia Police should take interest into an attempt on Mr Tayali’s life by people who were far from being common criminals.
Ms Imboela challenged the state to come out clean over the attack on Mr Tayali because, according her, everything was showing that they were the culprits. She said that the onus was on the State to tell the Zambians what really transpired as opposition leaders were now living in fear.
Mr Tembo of PeP said that the CCTV had clearly revealed that the suspected military Special Forces had a well-coordinated attack on Mr Tayali that no ordinary criminal could have carried out.
He said the attack on Mr Tayali was a home invasion and that the lives of the opposition were now in danger because, according to him, the state was allegedly targeting opposition political party leaders.
Mr Tembo said the vehicles the assailants were driving was an indication that they were not petty thieves but had an agenda to deal.
“The people who stormed Mr Tayali’s house carried special guns which are only had by Zambia Army Special forces commonly known as commandoes,” Mr Tembo said.
Mr Tembo said that the demeanor by the suspected attackers showed that they were not moved even after shots were fired.
He also questioned the police’s laisser-faire attitude by the police who did not even seem bothered to act on the incident an indication that they had instructions from the state that it was a military matter.
And Mr Mwamba said that there was too much lawlessness going on in the country and accused President Hakainde Hichilema of perpetuating lawlessness by his political party cadres.
Mr Mwamba said that it was shocking that the so called Special Forces had stormed Mr Tayali’s house and demanded answers from the state who he said needed to investigate the matter to the latter.”
And Mr Bwalya said the opposition was now under threat and that he is hopeful that the country shall not begin experiencing judicial killings under the UPND government.
He said the move sent wrong signals that the culprits could have been sponsored by the state due to the manner they conducted themselves.
Mr Bwalya said government was in panic mode and was willing to do anything to silence critics.
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