Nine people have died as a result of the customary ritual known as Kikondo’s “moving coffin” since last year in the province of North Western.
Lemmy Kajoba, the inspector general of police, denounced the province-wide practice and demanded that all culprits involved in the ritual killings be brought to justice.
Mr. Kajoba voiced alarm over the high number of murders in the districts of Solwezi and Kasempa.
The police should target the pallbearers and the family of the deceased so that they can be prosecuted with murder, according to him, who said that so far just one person has been captured in connection with the ritual killings.
“Police in North-Western Province recorded nine cases of kikondo between January 2022 and January 2023 with only one arrest made so far and these cases are rampant in Solwezi and Kasempa districts. All the incidents that have been recorded involve elderly people aged between 60 and 90 who are alleged to have been behind the death of the person in their communities.The perpetrators including the relatives of the deceased abandon their villages immediately after practicing kikondo as they know that Police will be looking for them,”he said.
He declared that more police personnel will be sent to the province to assist in catching the fugitive individuals.
Kikondo is a ceremony used by some people in specific regions of the province that they believe will help them catch the ones who killed their family members, usually under questionable circumstances.
