Tenga Village, located approximately 10 kilometers west of Nakonde Town along the Nakonde-Mbala road, experienced a chaotic morning on Wednesday as riders and youths took to the streets, seeking justice for the murder of 21-year-old Abraham Sichona Sikalangwe.
The young rider was killed by unknown criminals on Tuesday afternoon, with his body found near the council dumpsite, about a kilometer from the main road.
In the morning, a mob of riders and youths converged on a house in Tenga, demanding to see a young man suspected of being behind Sikalangwe’s murder.
However, upon being informed that the suspect was not at home, the crowd’s anger boiled over.
The mob began throwing stones at the house, causing damage to the property, and set fire to the seperate kitchen, which was used for a locally brewed beer business.
Fortunately, no casualties have been reported, despite the intensity of the situation.
The authorities were quickly alerted and responded promptly.
However, the mob proved initially uncontrollable, and the police were forced to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The roads were temporarily blocked, with no crossing allowed beyond the ZNS checkpoint along the Great North Road from both directions for about close to two hours.
A combined team of the Zambia Police Service, Zambia National Service, and the Zambia Army was later deployed to the scene to calm the situation.
Senior representatives of the Chieftainess, who reside in Musyani where Tenga is located, also arrived later in the day to address the mob and help restore order.
District Commissioner Marvelous Sikapizye was among the authorities present at the scene.
Firefighters were also deployed to the scene.
The police have instituted investigations into the matter.
CREDIT: Chete FM