FOUR security officers from Cobra Security Company have been sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Ndola High Court for the murder of an illegal miner in Luanshya.
The ruling was handed down in a case presided over by Judge Daniel Musonda, involving five security personnel initially charged with one count of murder.
The convicted officers are Kelvin Mwenya, Christopher Katumoyo, Josphat Kalunga, and Prince Kanfwa.
Their co-accused, Hostal Kabwe, was acquitted by Judge Musonda.
The court heard that on November 18, 2023, the five officers apprehended two illegal miners, Sampa Kampamba and another identified only as Chishala, for trespassing and allegedly stealing copper ore at Shaft Seven in Luanshya.
Chishala reportedly escaped lawful custody while being transported to the police.
Following their apprehension, Kampamba was handed over to the police and subsequently released.
However, just two hours after his release, Kampamba complained to relatives that he had been beaten by the security officers.
He was later found unconscious and pronounced dead upon arrival at Roan Hospital.
A postmortem examination revealed that he died from head injuries and blunt force trauma.
During the trial, the accused officers claimed they had only arrested one suspect.
However, a police officer testified, contradicting their statement and confirming that two suspects had indeed been apprehended by the security officers.
Judge Musonda, in his judgment, stated that it was undisputed the accused had apprehended two suspects and had lied to avoid blame.
He emphasised that while the deceased was found stealing from private property, the officers were obligated to hand him over to the police rather than taking the law into their own hands.
Hostal Kabwe was acquitted after the judge determined that despite being on duty, he was not among the officers directly involved in the apprehension of the suspects.
By Noel Iyombwa
Kalemba June 30, 2025
