Killed for NOT smoking ganja!

The cops in the Kyela town in Mbeya Region have allegedly bludgeoned to death one Lucas Mwaipopo. His crime? He was not smoking ganja like his mates, who had run away from the scene. Now the police are saying that the late Lucas died of malaria of the head.

Youths in Kyela went ballistic and caused mayhem in the town. This blatant case of police brutality is second to the one which happened only a month ago in the nearby border town of Tunduma. Police gunned down a ‘bandit’ called Frank Mwachembe who was suspected for armed robbery.

Now the police in Dar are accused over the death of one Tuga Rashid who died in “suspicious circumstances” in police hands after he was arrested from his home in the city on Tuesday.

This time police boss, Saidi Mwema has appointed a seven-member team to investigate the killing of a man whose family members allege was tortured to death after being picked up from his home.

The Kyela cops have made laughable reasons for the death of Lucas Mwaipopo. That he was caught with some joints of ganja. Then he was peacefully escorted to the police station. There he started feeling sick and vomited. The good cops released him to his relatives who took him to the hospital where he subsequently died. Which is a load of bull, of course.

How can a man who has malaria be busy be indulging in smoking ganja? We all know what a bout of malaria is. Was Lucas Mwaipopo a superman with malaria who had the strength to blow weed at the same time?

. Then cops are usually very economical with the truth when they goof. They usually excel in such deeds, with blatant lies. After all, there is an old adage for the cops to hide behind – dead men tell no tales.

We still remember when a police officer (who is now in the lam) swore that innocent precious mineral businessmen from Kilosa, who were murdered by the cops, were actually armed robbers.

They subsequently claimed that the poor fellows actually charged the police who had no alternative except to gun them down. The businessmen’s corpses were found to have gunshot wounds at the back of their heads – execution style. Courtesy to the cops.

When challenged by a three man police patrol in Kyela Lucas Mwaipopo did not run away. His conscience was clear since he did not indulge in smoking ganja. He paid for that with his life when the three-man patrol descended on him and clubbed him to death. Or, died of malaria of the head, as the cops claim.

The cops could go for a different reason. That Lucas subdued the three policemen, grabbed their truncheons and hit himself on the head until he died. Just what is happening?

I wonder what yarn the police are presently spinning for the public this time. They could say the unfortunate young fellow was armed to the teeth, so they clubbed him to death.

Or the cops could lie that Lucal Mwaipopo was threatening national security, nchi itayumba and Tanzania could face a bloodbath if Lucas continued to hang out with his buddies who are ganja smokers.

It’s just ridiculous. When all other sober countries are thinking of de-criminalising the smoking of ganja, Bongo is killing people just for the mere suspicion of smoking pot.

The police should simply stop behaving like a bunch of Neanderthal men by going round killing people arbitrarily. Even Neanderthals had their rules. You don’t just go around killing people.

Police boss, Saidi Mwema, has called for justice and the rule of law. But do the cops know the meaning of the word ‘police’?