The family of Malawian teenager Emmanuel Chibwana say they have been instructed not to disclose to the public a lot of information as authorities are conducting investigations after Emmanuel was trafficked to Tanzania last week.
Emmanuel’s father, Dr Khama Chibwana, has released a statement hours after Emmanuel reunited with his family in Blantyre. Emmanuel was taken from Malawi on November 1 and was found in a container in Tanzania on November 5.
Dr Chibwana said the family is grateful to God and to all who prayed and supported them during the most difficult time when Emmanuel went missing under very strange and unimaginable circumstances.
He also appreciated the continued interest, concern, support, and demand for answers that the general public and media houses in particular have over this issue.
He, however, noted that the case now involves national and international security agencies responsible for handling human trafficking cases and the family has been told to keep some information from the public.
“We are under instruction not to disclose to the public a lot of information for the sake of Emmanuel’s and the family’s security and ongoing criminal investigations.
“We would like to respect this protocol not as an end in itself, but as a means to an end. We trust that the investigation will be done with speed looking at the urgency of the matter and the heinous nature of the crime. Not only do we want the matter to be fully investigated with speed, we want all the perpetrators of this crime to be behind bars so that we can reclaim the safety and security of our public spaces and our public transportation systems.
“Besides, we want tangible answers to be provided to the public timely at all critical stages of the investigation, as should be the case. We pray and hope that the responsible agencies will not hold the right to information that we all hold to be sabotaged under the guise of perpetual investigation,” said Chibwana.
He then appealed to the public to allow Emmanuel and the family some privacy and space to heal considering they have been subjected to a hell-like experience
The family has since organized a Thanksgiving, Praise, and Worship service for family and friends.
