Halimana
Concerned citizens have given the Malawi Police Service seven days to put to light the circumstances that led to the death of Noel Halimana, a 31-year-old man of Rwandan origin, who was reported to have died in a road accident last month but there are suspicions that he was killed.
In a statement yesterday, concerned citizens Wales Khama, Cynthia Chikalema and Esther Kubwalo have given the police seven days to ensure that all those that carried Halimana’s body from one place to another are arrested and interrogated since they owe Malawians an explanation over their strange conduct.
The grouping says it has arrived at this stage after learning that Halimana’s may have been planned by some people.
Halimana died on 17 October this year reportedly in an accident involving his personal vehicle, a Toyota Hiace minibus registration number KK 3519 which he was travelling in.
A report signed by a senior forensic clinical officer at Kamuzu Hospital shows that Halimana was taken to the hospital about an hour after the accident and at this time he was already dead. The report shows death was due to a sudden blunt impact to the chest.
Police instituted initial investigations that led to the driver’s arrest for not immediately reporting the accident to police..
According to the report, the driver identified as Rafiq told police that the accident happened between 1;30am and 2:30am as the vehicle was cruising. Rafiq said he saw children crossing the road and in attempt to avoid them he changed lanes but there was also an oncoming truck and while avoid it he crashed into a street pole.
The minibus has only two passenger seats at the front while at the back all seats were removed and there was a mattress on which Halimana was lying at the time of the accident.
The concerned citizens claim that a group connected to the driver’s family, who happens to be the cousin of Halimana’s ex-wife, took control of everything after the accident without waiting for the police to do their work as is always the case during road accidents.
“It is reported that the family members took Noel’s body to Dae Yung Hospital allegedly for postmortem and embalming during the same night. As this was happening, some members of the group were busy making burial arrangements including buying a coffin the same night in readiness for burial without the involvement of Noel’s blood relations.
“When Noel’s relations learnt of the alleged accident and the death, they moved in to stop everything, and at this point the body was transferred to Kamuzu Central Hospital and upon the arrival of the blood relations, everything was put to a halt and a proper autopsy was conducted on 20th October 2022,” the concerned citizens said.
The concerned citizens are convinced that Noel’s death was arranged, a development that is smelling foul play all over.
“Failure to act within the specified time will leave us with no option but take to the streets to protest this shameful act by the police. We just want the Malawi Police Service to desist from any conduct that has the potential to erode the trust the citizens have in their police, and strive to safeguard the gains made in as far as our global record in relation to hosting refugees and asylum seekers is concerned,” reads the statement.
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