Apostle Ziba defends arrested bishop, says church ‘not aware of evidence’ linking him to killing

Fountain Nation founder Apostle Joseph Ziba has defended arrested Bishop Medram Chirwa, saying the church knows of no evidence that conclusively links him to the alleged murder of Tathokoza Salimu.

In an executive memo dated 9 October 2026, Apostle Ziba set out the church’s position on the bishop’s arrest.

Police arrested Bishop Chirwa at National Police Headquarters on 6 October 2026 in connection with the alleged murder of Ms Salimu, an employee of FDH Forex Bureau in Dowa.

Church’s account

According to the memo, Bishop Chirwa told police that at the time of the alleged murder he was at Mbwatalika, on the outskirts of Lilongwe, looking to buy land.

The church says police took him there, where three people he had engaged to help him find land reportedly confirmed they were with him.

It also says police searched his home for the alleged murder weapon and Ms Salimu’s belongings.

“The search did not yield any such items”, the church says, according to the information available to it.

The memo says the church understands the arrest may have been partly influenced by a police belief that he was the last person to interact with Ms Salimu on the morning she died.

But it says the church is “not aware of evidence” established so far “that conclusively connects him to the alleged offence”.

‘Fled to Karonga’ claim denied

Apostle Ziba rejected reports that the bishop fled to Karonga.

He said Bishop Chirwa accompanied him on an apostolic tour of the Northern Region, which he says can be verified on his official Facebook and YouTube pages.

The memo says the bishop was back in Lilongwe leading the church service on Sunday 27 September and has not left his station since.

Custody and condolences

The memo says that, on legal advice, Bishop Chirwa agreed to stay in police custody for 72 hours so investigations could be completed before his court appearance for remand proceedings.

The church offered condolences to the Salimu family, said it stands against murder, and called for thorough, impartial and professional investigations. It said it backs police and has confidence in the courts.

Apostle Ziba urged members and the public to avoid speculation and unverified information, and invited the church worldwide to pray for the bishop, his lawyers, police and the Salimu family.

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