Police have rejected claims that former minister Dr Katele Kalumba was abducted, saying he was lawfully apprehended in Chienge and charged with harassment under the Cyber Crimes Act for allegedly publishing content meant to humiliate President Hakainde Hichilema.

Police spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi said in a statement that Dr Kalumba was apprehended on 23 September in Chienge, in Luapula Province. He was formally charged the following day at Kabwe Central Police Station.

The charge is harassment under Section 22 of the Cyber Crimes Act No. 4 of 2025. Police say it relates to content Dr Kalumba allegedly published on 11 August to humiliate the President.

The statement followed claims from the opposition that the arrest was an abduction. We Are One Zambia (WOZA) and Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance secretary general Muhabi Lungu said Dr Kalumba’s wife described the arrest as an abduction by heavily armed soldiers and police, who did not explain why they were taking him or where.

When the arrest was announced, Mr Lungu said, ruling party supporters dismissed it as fake. That forced the wife to make a recording.

Mr Lungu said it was laughable that Dr Kalumba was bundled into a military vehicle in Chienge and driven all the way to Kabwe, in Central Province, only to face charges. He said the journey fitted a pattern he described as a new punishment tactic, using jurisdiction as a weapon.

“Dr Kalumba was transferred all the way from Chiengi to Kabwe because a Kabwe resident allegedly complained. So, we can speculate that we will all be arrested and transported to a distant district for prosecution as punishment. Same with Mundubile and Makebi. From Kabwe, now Solwezi,” he said.

The two men he named, treason-accused opposition leaders Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, were moved from Kabwe to Solwezi, where they appeared in the Magistrates Court on Friday on sedition charges. Mr Lungu said the transfers showed the same law being abused.

He went further, saying the continued arrests and clampdown on opponents and critics were meant to stoke fear and silence dissent. The aim, he said, was to lay the ground for a third term for the President and make him untouchable.

Mr Lungu also accused the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government of repealing the offence of defaming the President from the Penal Code, only to smuggle it back in a stronger and more punitive form through the sedition and cyber laws.

“Essentially, if you offer constructive criticism to the President, you are abducted and booked for sedition or cyber harassment,” he said.

He warned that the conduct of the Government amounted to the militarisation of politics, with Zambia projected as a constitutional democracy but policed like a military state.

“There is no remorse from the perpetrators of this crackdown. One has to ask: Are these arrests meant to create fear so that the President becomes unaccountable to anyone?” Mr Lungu said.

The ruling party took a different view of the matter. UPND deputy spokesperson Elvis Nkandu strongly condemned remarks attributed to Dr Kalumba against the President, describing them as regrettable and entirely out of step with constructive national discourse.

Mr Nkandu was referring to a video now circulating on social media in which the former minister makes disparaging remarks and issues threats against the President. The video is believed to have been made before the general election.

Citizens are free to express personal views, Mr Nkandu said, but such freedoms must be exercised with responsibility and deep respect for vital State institutions, particularly the presidency.

He expressed disappointment that a veteran figure of Dr Kalumba’s stature, a former senior public servant and prominent politician, would resort to disrespectful rhetoric. That was especially so, he said, given the history of his relationship with the current administration.

Dr Kalumba was imprisoned for corruption in 2022. President Hichilema pardoned him on medical grounds, and he was released from prison on 1 August 2023.

Mr Nkandu said that act of mercy should never be misconstrued as weakness.

“President Hichilema had every opportunity to approach the matter purely from a political perspective, but he instead demonstrated humanity and compassion,” he said.

He also issued a stern warning against attempts to promote regionalism and tribal divisions. The presidency belongs to all citizens, he said, and political disagreements should never be allowed to erode national unity.

Healthy criticism of Government policy is welcome, Mr Nkandu said, but it should not compromise the dignity of the Head of State. He urged Dr Kalumba to use his extensive political experience to contribute constructively to national development rather than divisive commentary.

Police maintain that Dr Kalumba was lawfully apprehended on 23 September and formally charged the next day at Kabwe Central Police Station.

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