Number 61                                                             February     2004
Kanyama Police Detain Man For Six Days
By Monica Kunda
A Kanyama resident has complained to the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) in Lusaka that Kanyama police officers detained him for six days and charged him with child negligence.
Robbison Musesha told Kanyama paralegal officer Johnstone Kalebaila that police officers detained him for allegedly not caring for his child who had gone missing from home for two days.
Musesha said on January 16 this year his seven-year-old child went missing from home for two days. He said immediately he discovered that his son was not in the house, he went round looking for him but did not find him.
On January 19 one of his neighbours found the child playing with his friends and took him to Kanyama police station.
The neighbour then informed the father the whereabouts of his son.
The following day Musesha went to the police station and found the boy but while there a female police officer decided to detain him for child negligence.
Musesha said he was released unconditionally. He said due to his detention, his bosses terminated his employment as he was told that his services were no longer required because he was absent from work.
He wants to sue the police officer for damages he incurred for being in the cells and for the loss of his job.