45 physically challenged Villager charged for murder in Gwembe District

45 physically challenged Villager charged for murder in Gwembe District

Gwembe, March 28, ZANIS–Police in Gwembe have formally charged with murder of a 45 year old crippled man Galeya Semani of Siamuunda Village in Chief Chipepo’s area.

Semani shot and killed  Siabusubi of the same village in Sinafala area last week using a home-made short-gun last week.

According to information obtained from police, the late Siabusubi  was found with gunshot wounds on her back and right palm.

Loyd Nzaamba 35, the deceased’s grandson and Galeya Siapenga Semani 45, the deceased’s stepson  were earlier picked by police to help with investigations.

Meanwhile, police have connected Semani to the death of Nomayi and cleared Nzamba after Semani willingly told police during warn and caution statement that he is the one who committed the act.

Semani who is physically challenged confessed to police that he falsely implicated Nzamba in the
murder case and pleaded for the release of his co-accused.

He told police that Nzamba had earlier on the  fateful day borrowed Semani’s gun to scare away hippos from his maize field however  Semani and Nzamba  had returned the gun to the owner within an hour after use.

Nzamba further produced a bus ticket from Monze to Lusaka indicating that he had travelled later in the night on that same day and police had tracked phone calls he had made and received whilst in Lusaka.

Police further contacted the bus operator who issued the ticket to Nzamba before clearing him of the charge.

And Semani told and demonstrated to police how he crawled over a kilometer from his house to the deceased house on Sunday night, the 16th of March, 2014, carrying a meter long short-gun towards Nomayi’s house with the intent  to kill her.

Semani said he decided to kill Nomayi in order to put an end to her persistently troubling him at night in the dreams to make love to her.

He explained that for a long time, Semani had been dreaming  the late Nomayi  as wanting to make love to her, an idea that he detested.

He said he crawled under the flooding moonlight and aimed his gun at Nomayi 87, who sat outside her house, puffing out smoke from her traditional smoking pipe locally known as Ndobondo 26 metres away, and fired a single shot, killing her instantly.

Semani explained that he then crawled back home and hid the gun in the tall grass in the lagoon where his house is situated.

The accused further showed two rounds of ammunition securely hidden in the roof of his grass thatched hut near the lagoon.

Semani told police that he had even attended Nomayi’s funeral the following morning before police went to pick the body of the deceased.

Semani, a peasant farmer, who is married  with three children, said he purchased the gun 10 years ago from a person he could not remember saying it was solely for scaring away hippos at his farm found in a lagoon on Lake Kariba.

The accused has been since transferred to Monze remand prison and will appear in court soon.