Police officer family seek refuge at mosque as armed officers storm house

Family of a police officer who is refusing to go on transfer from Lilongwe to Fort Maguire in Mangochi sought refuge at a mosque in Lilongwe on Friday after heavily armed police officers stormed his house in Lingadzi to force him go on transfer.

Sergeant Cassim Manda is said to have sought refuge at a foreign embassy.

The heavily armed police officers stormed their residence, threatening to evict them.

Armed police officers from A and C divisions, descended on the police house, ordering them to vacate the premises.

The family claims the transfer of Sergeant Manda from Lilongwe to Fort Maguire, a border post with Mozambique, was politically motivated and did not follow proper procedure.

Sergeant Manda’s children, fearing for their safety, sought protection at the Area 18 mosque, where they spent the day praying.

The family has filed a complaint with the ombudsman, contesting the circumstances surrounding Sergeant Manda’s transfer and requesting that he be transferred to a police unit in his home village of Nkhotakota.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of Sergeant Manda and his family, with some police officers claiming he attended a DPP political convention, which angered authorities.

However, others deny this, saying he was attending to office matters at the time.