The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) summoned Lusaka Catholic Archbishop Alick Banda for questioning today over a Toyota Hilux allegedly obtained unlawfully from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). Police warned the public against any gathering or procession linked to his appearance.

The summons follows a warn-and-caution statement recorded from the cleric on January 5, 2026. Investigators allege that between April 22, 2021 and December 27, 2023, Dr Banda had in his possession a blue Toyota Hilux, registration number ALF 7734, suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from ZRA, contrary to Section 319 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

The details were set out in a joint statement by DEC public relations officer Allan Tamba and Zambia Police Service spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi, who confirmed the date of the interview.

“He has been invited to appear before the Drug Enforcement Commission today in line with ongoing investigations,” Mr Tamba said.

The Hilux forms part of a wider investigation into about 22 ZRA motor vehicles alleged to have been improperly disposed of, an inquiry that has already resulted in court convictions against other individuals. The statement stressed that the charge against the Archbishop relates specifically to the alleged possession of unlawfully obtained property, and cautioned the public against inflammatory statements on the matter.

Mr Chilabi said only Dr Banda’s legal representatives and designated individuals connected to the case would be allowed to accompany him. He was equally clear about what was expected of everyone else.

“In view of the foregoing, members of the public are urged to refrain from engaging in any unlawful assembly, public procession, or conduct that may breach the peace or contravene relevant laws,” he said.

Police said they would take appropriate measures, in accordance with the law, to prevent any conduct that breaches the peace.

The opposition responded sharply. New Heritage Party (NHP) president Chishala Kateka said the Catholic Church was facing intense political persecution for standing up for the truth, and that the Archbishop had been singled out for his outspokenness.

“It is such a strange and unfortunate thing in as much as we are not privy to why he is being summoned again,” Ms Kateka said. “In my view, Bishop Banda is a target of persecution because of his courageous voice.”

She described the summons as part of a desperate political plot to hound the cleric out of office at all costs. It was in the public domain, she said, that the State had been trailing him for some time, and the action would be seen as an attack on the entire Church.

“It is in the public arena that some individual desperately wants Bishop Banda completely removed from his position,” she said. “It is just that the Catholic Church does not necessarily act on external political pressure.”

Ms Kateka tied the case to the arrests of other public figures. She said former minister Katele Kalumba was re-arrested at Ibex Police Station on Saturday, and warned that any citizen could be next.

“We cannot continue as Zambians to live in constant fear like that,” she said.

The only difference in the Archbishop’s case, she said, was that he had been respectfully summoned. She called for dialogue and reconciliation, urged the State to reconsider what she described as a militant approach towards perceived rivals, and said the DEC engagement should respect both the law and the office of the Archbishop.

Former Justice Minister Given Lubinda accepted the authority of investigators but pressed for openness.

“Let me be clear from the outset: no citizen, however prominent, is above the law,” Mr Lubinda said in a statement. “But equally, no citizen, however insignificant, is beneath the protection of the law.”

He said the DEC must act professionally, fairly, impartially and without intimidation, and asked the Commission to tell the nation whether the renewed summons concerned the vehicle over which the Archbishop was warned and cautioned in January. If it did, he said, the authorities should explain its basis within the limits of an ongoing investigation.

The joint DEC and police statement ties the summons directly to that vehicle, the January caution and the wider inquiry into the ZRA fleet.

State House, for its part, maintained that no one in Zambia is being persecuted. It said there are no political prisoners in the country, that the law should not bend for anyone because of status or position, and that people summoned by law enforcement agencies should comply rather than claim persecution, citing other leaders who had answered summonses and cooperated.

The Wake Up Campaign for a Better Zambia also backed due process. Its board chairperson, Bishop Joseph Malamba, called for national unity, healing and reconciliation, and referred to the detention of Mr Kalumba over a statement he described as inappropriate and divisive.

“These are some of the elements causing trouble and divisions in the nation,” Bishop Malamba said. “Individuals who breach the law through their conduct or statements should be dealt with through established legal processes.”

Dr Banda is due at the Commission today, accompanied only by his lawyers and designated individuals, with police pledging to act against any conduct that breaches the peace.

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