Parliament has been requested to investigate the kidnapping and release of Muhammad Kasiman of Central Poultry.
Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) executive director Sylvester Namiwa made the call after noting that a month has gone since the incident happened but there is no official statement from the Malawi Police Service (MPS) let alone the family nor the survivor.
Kasiman, a British national of Indian descent, was abducted on July 24, 2024 around 2pm on his way back to the office from Falls Estate (Area 1) Mosque in Lilongwe..
On July 27, the Police said he was released on Saturday night, July 27, 2024 without further details and arrests.
Following the incident, homeland security sinister, Ken Zikhale Ng’oma vowed to leave no stone unturned in investigating the series of abductions targeting the Asian Community in Malawi.
“Today, Malawians are living in fear, since abduction allegation remains a serious security concern globally, and to make matters worse this recent case involved a foreign national and a businessperson.
“Simply put, the deafening silence from the authorities is creating fear and panic among Malawians, over and above that it has the potential to scare potential and existing investors, thereby threatening attempts to recover the ailing economy and create the much needed jobs among the youth,” said Namiwa in a letter addressed to Speaker of National Assembly, Catherine Gotani Hara and copied to trade and industry committee chairperson Paul Nkhoma and defence and security committee chairperson Salim Bagus.
Namiwa said the abduction raise a lot of questions on whether Malawi a safer place to live in or let alone do busines.
“Why do our police seem not interested in these serious security concerns? Is it a question of incompetence or utter negligence Was ransom paid in all these cases ? Are these cases a result of business deals gone sour?
“In view of the above, CDEDI on behalf of voiceless Malawians that double as voters and taxpayers, writes you Madam Speaker to invoke your powers to commission a joint parliamentary committee including Trade and Industry committee, as well as the Defense and Security committee to conduct a public inquiry that will in turn help Malawians exercise their right to know.
“In the same vein, the committee should summon the current Inspector General (IG) of the MPS, Madam Merlyn Yolamu to explain to the nation on whether she is in control of the country’s security system, including giving an explanation on the apparent security breakdown in the country,” reads part of the statement
This is the fourth abduction case involving the Asian Community as it shows that in 2021 two cases of Tariq Noorani and Faizal Aboo were reported while a 3- year-old boy Aaraf Kapadia was also abducted in June 2022.
