Okahandja officer will drink dead robbery suspects’ blood – NEFF

Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) representative Epafras Mukwiilongo says one of the police officers who shot dead five suspected robbers at Okahandja last month will “drink their blood”.

The deceased are Abed ‘Koppe’ Andreas, Flavianus ‘Kalu’ Endjala, Marius ‘Jackie’ Iipinge, Malakia ‘Brown’ Kotokeni, and Erick ‘Akawa’ Martin.

“(*Name withheld), or whatever his name is, is the one who caused the deaths of these five people, and he will drink the blood of these people,” Mukwiilongo, who is also a member of parliament, said at Martin’s funeral at Elim in the Omusati region on Saturday.

He said he is Martin’s uncle.

Mukwiilongo claimed the suspected robbers were handcuffed before they were shot dead.

“They were not running. They were handcuffed, and the handcuffs were removed at a later stage,” he claimed.

He said the police should provide the clothes worn by the alleged criminals at the time of their shooting.

Mukwiilongo accused the police of committing a crime by shooting the suspects dead.

“If a police officer has an agenda against a certain person, he or she should not use the name of the police or a police gun to kill the person.
“He should use his own gun so people don’t blame the police force when it’s just an individual police officer within the police force who has an agenda against a certain person and decides to take the law into his own hands and kill people,” he said.

Mukwiilongo said the suspected robbers did not shoot at police officers and were not trespassing on any property.

He said he travelled to Okahandja upon learning about the death of his nephew and the four other alleged thugs.

He asked why the police did not arrest the alleged criminals.

“They are only targeting young people. How many young people are you going to kill? There are no job opportunities in the country,” Mukwiilongo said.

In a statement released last week, the police’s deputy inspector general for operations, major general Elias Mutota, said a murder case has been registered against the involved police officers, while a case of attempted murder and malicious damage to property has been registered against a sixth suspected robber, who managed to flee the scene.

Mutota said the five men have been arrested previously and have been granted bail in a combined total of 24 criminal cases, involving charges ranging from armed robbery, housebreaking and theft, to attempted murder, the possession of firearms and ammunition without a licence, illegal dealing in firearms, displaying fake vehicle number plates, and escaping from lawful custody.

The statement says the police received information about a planned armed robbery “by some notorious criminals to be carried out at a certain farm in Khomas”, and that the target of this planned robbery was then shifted to a gambling house at Okahandja.

Mutota said the suspects were later spotted at a gambling house near Okahandja’s municipal offices, “where a hot pursuit ensued within the Okahandja town”.

“During the process the suspects allegedly shot at the pursuing police car, which triggered an exchange of fire. Before the car could come to a standstill, the officers allegedly saw one of the suspects jumping out of the vehicle and running into the nearby riverbed where he disappeared.

“Eventually, when the vehicle of the suspects came to a standstill on the way to Nau-Aib location opposite a biltong shop, the police observed that five suspects were in the vehicle and were struck by the bullets during the shooting.”

*The officer’s name has been withheld since he has not appeared in court yet.