Machinga police in anti-albino killings campaign

The Machinga police in collaboration with the Zomba police have conducted campaigns to raise awareness of the killings and abductions of people with albinism.

The massive campaign took place at Chikweo and Ntaja trading centres and was spiced by music and drama by Machinga police band as well as YONECO cultural troops which conveyed messages against the inhuman behaviour.

During the event, Eastern Region police commissioner Effie Kaitano said she is deeply concerned with how these cases have emerged in the country.

“I am deeply concerned with this behaviour and am concerned with how the rights of people are being violated in the country, and am urging you people to work with the police to end the malpractice,” Kaitano explained.

In his remarks senior assistant commissioner of police Isaac Maluwa said the population of people living with albinism in Machinga district is now at 122 and he asked the organisations to join hands towards ending the strange acts.

However, vice president of Association for people with albinism Emmie Chiumia cried in the presence of the audience when she rose to speak.

She later said she is concerned with the brutal killings and she asked parents and guardians to treat their children as any other since they are gifts from God and hold special life as other children.

“I ask the police to conduct special meetings with chiefs with the aim to create more channels of ending this behaviour for it is terrorising the peace of those living with albinism,” Chiumia explained.

The awareness campaign has come following the unending acts of killings, abducting of albinos as well as cases of exhuming remains of albino bodies.

Earlier this year in Machinga, a nine year old albino boy was snatched from his mother’s hands on and his head was found four days later in a decomposed state.