Human rights activist and Amnesty International designated Prisoner of Conscience, Omoyele Sowore has reacted to the appointment of Kuyomba Bwalya as Deputy Commissioner-General of Zambia’s correctional service by President Hakainde Hichilema.

 

Hichilema was a detainee under Bwalya in 2017, when he was charged with treason for allegedly putting former President Edgar Lungu’s life in danger.

 

The opposition leader, as of the time, was slammed with the treason charge over the failure of his convoy to give way to Lungu’s motorcade.

 

He was freed about four months later after the state prosecutor dropped the treason charges against him.

 

While swearing in Bwalya and other officers on Wednesday, the President praised him for acting professionally during an oppressive regime, referring to Lungu’s administration.

 

He asked Bwalya and Fredrick Chilukutu, Commissioner-General of the correctional service, to reform all the prisons in the country.

 

“I never knew that I will end up in maximum prison and the deputy commissioner-general, Bwalya, is a young man, we met in those circumstances. He was my boss. Under difficult conditions and quite an oppressive regime, he tried very hard to act professionally,” he said.

 

“He knows what I’m talking about, I know what I’m talking about. And I looked and said this young man, how is he managing to stay reasonable in an environment like this. He was my boss. I was a bit noticed sometimes because I did not accept certain instructions which I felt were against my human rights. But we got along in a very strange way. He was my boss, today he is being sworn in by one of his detainees. Life goes round.”

 

Hichilema was sworn in as President last month after he defeated ex-President Edgar Lungu in a landslide victory.

 

Reacting in a Facebook post, Sowore hailed the professionalism displayed by Bwalya and asked Nigerian security operatives to emulate him.

 

He posted, “Here is police officer in Zambia being sworn in by his ex-detainee- the newly elected President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema. 

 

"Mr. Hichilema testifies to this police officer’s professionalism during his frequent run-ins with the Zambian police as an opposition politician but here in Nigeria you could rarely find a security agent act with conscience, rationality or a dint of professionalism once the office of the President, a Governor, A Rich man, A Religious leader, a Traditional ruler or any influential person including notable fraudsters is/are involved, it is even getting harder to find a judge these days who is willing to act fairly in any lawsuit(s) whenever the President or any of the so-called big men is/are involved but no matter how long it takes all these people will answer to their crimes of collusion, connivance and complicity against the mass of our people! 

 

"It is just a matter of time! Hopefully, the new Zambia President too will not start using the same police against his opponents! #Revolution.”