A POLICE reserve broke down in court yesterday when narrating the chilling details on how IBA director general Nguntila Muleya was trialed and briefly abducted before he was murdered.
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William Shawa, 33, of Garden compound in Lusaka told Lusaka High Court Judge Vincent Siloka that he escorted his bosses, Caleb Zulu and Mithusani Dokowe who are both police officers for an operation to apprehend Muleya at his office.
Shawa said Zulu told him to carry an AK-47 gun with four bullets for the particular operation.
He said on July 18, 2024 he received a phone call from the officer in charge at Northmead police post saying Zulu would pick me up to go and apprehend someone.
Shawa said Zulu came with Dokowe whom they went together with to apprehend a suspect.
“So around 16:00 hours Zulu came with Mr Dokowe, I knew Zulu, but Mr Dokowe was my first time seeing him. I have known Zulu for about two years, I knew him through work at Northmead, he was a PIO( police intelligence officer) who worked at Northmead for about six to seven months.”
“Zulu came and told me to carry a gun, an AK-47 that we are going to apprehend someone, I carried it from the inquiries and gave it to him. I then asked where we were going and he told me that we were going to Mass media near ZNBC, so I got the occurrence book and wrote AK-47 withdrawn with four bullets,” he said.
The witness said they entered into the vehicle, a RAV4 red in colour and drove out, Zulu was the one driving the vehicle. They drove off to Mass media to apprehend Muleya whom they referred to as a suspect.
“We went to apprehend Muleya as I was told but we didn’t find him. And Zulu told me that the reason we were arresting Muleya was because he had stolen a lot of money from people. He further said to me that someone from anti fraud instructed him to apprehend Muleya.”
“We then went at Longacres Mall, and Zulu asked me how many bullets were in the gun and I told him four then he told me that we cannot go to apprehend a suspect who has a gun with four bullets,” he said.
Shawa said Zulu added two more bullets to make it six.
He further said when they reached Long Acres Mall they did not find him and went back to Northmead Police.
Shawa said on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 they decided to go back to apprehend Muleya at his office.
“We started off and reached fly over bridge at Longacres, Zulu received a phone call saying the person you are following has knocked off he was not at the office. And the phone call said we should follow the person he was going to Chelstone.”
“We started following Muleya behind who was driving a white Prado until we reached where he was going at Mika Hotel along Great East Road. He reached the hotel and Zulu came out of the vehicle and approached him that he was wanted at [Lusaka] Central Police as a suspect,” Shawa said.
He said Zulu introduced himself as a police officer but Muleya failed to believe him until he removed an identity card.
Shawa said even when Zulu produced an ID Muleya refused to comply stating that he never made any offence and he was not going anywhere.
He further stated that Zulu told him he could carry him by force and put him in the vehicle if didn’t want to comply.
“Mr. Muleya started screaming security! security! And when security came, Zulu introduced himself to the security and they agreed that they were officers and told Muleya to comply, Muleya was then handcuffed and was taken into the vehicle where he sat between me and Dokowe behind as Zulu was driving.”
Shawa said Muleya was handcuffed when he was thrown into the vehicle.
“When we reached Northmead bus station Zulu told me to use another vehicle and he will give me for fuel and said I will find them at Lusaka Central Police, I obliged, I followed them after 10 minutes but they were not at the police station, I tried to call Zulu’s phone but it was off, and on that day I knocked off.”
“I went home, and later I received a call from Zulu around 19:00 to 20:00 hour telling me he was coming to my house, we met and he send me K1,000 for fuel in my Airtel money account and left.”
“And on Saturday July 27, around 02:00 hrs when I was home I heard a knock at my door, it was the police knocking, I opened and they slapped me asking where I had put the money I got from Muleya, I told them I never got any money but I only escorted Zulu, my boss and Dokowe for an operation to apprehend Muleya,” he said.
With tears rushing out of his eyes, Shawa said police informed him that Muleya was murdered, and found dead.
He said he was taken to the police where he met the now accused persons arrested.
And when told to identify the two accused persons in court, Shawa identified Dokowe and when he reached where Zulu was he touched his shoulder and said” i am sorry” with a teary face.
In this matter, Mithusani Dokowe, 29, a police officer, Caleb Zulu, 30, a police officer of Libala south, Samuel Dokowe, 37, an assistant engineer and Francis Chipyoka,42, an accountant of Foxdale are charged with murder.
Trial continues today
By Lucy Phiri
Kalemba May 6, 2025
