Court grants bail to Mzuzu youth activists

Mzuzu senior resident magistrate Major Mbewe yesterday granted bail to nine youths arrested on Monday for planning to stage a vigil at Mzuzu Civic Offices to push President Peter Mutharika to address the food shortage and economic problems facing the country.

Effectively, the magistrate threw out an application by the State to have the nine remanded at Mzuzu Prison for seven days pending investigations against them.

Mzuzu Police head of prosecution Vickness Simwinga had told the court the State was yet to identify witnesses and conduct investigations; hence, the application to detain the nine.

But lawyer for the youth activists, Leonard Mbulo, said it would be unfair to send the young activists on remand on the basis that the State had not carried out investigations. He said the investigations should have been undertaken prior to the arrest.

Mbewe granted bail to the nine on condition that they each be their own surety, make a bail bond of K10 000 not cash, report to police once in two weeks on Thursdays, and surrender travel documents to police and pay a bail. The nine met the condition and have been released.

The activists, under Mzuzu Youth Association (MYA), spent a night at Mzuzu Police Station police pounced on them on Monday at Katoto Secondary School football ground where they prepared to march to Mzuzu City Council Civic Offices to stage a vigil. holding cells after

In a twist to the tale, police sources confided in The Nation that there were “instructions from above” to have the case withdrawn as the youth activists were already in the dock.

But Mzuzu Police Station spokesperson Martin Bwanali said he was not aware of the orders, adding that the matter has been taken to court.

Northern Region Police spokesperson Maurice Chapola and National Police spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa also denied knowledge of the “instructions from above” to drop the charges against the youth. n