Police in Lusaka are on a manhunt for Patriotic Front Eastern Province Youth Chairperson Emmanuel J Banda, commonly known as Jay Jay, who is facing aggravated robbery charges.

On Saturday last week, Banda mobilised armed PF cadres and stormed Lusaka Central Police where they beat up some unsuspecting officers on duty and got away with an undisclosed amount of money, belonging to one of the officers.

Sources say the incident happened after the C5 anti-robbery squad shot and killed a suspect earlier, who happens to be a relative to Banda. The suspected robber died after sustaining four bullet wounds.

This infuriated the PF official who demanded to meet the officers involved in the shooting incident. However, the officers did not comply, prompting Banda to mobilise cadres and besiege the provincial police headquarters, with at least one visible firearm.

Noting the arrival of Banda, armed with a gun, some officers scampered into hiding while one of the officers, Ian Mbewe who is charge of anti-motor vehicle theft unit, fell victim to a thorough beating.

Banda and his gang then left the police station and went on the run, before officers could mobilise to take him on.

Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Nelson Phiri, who was present during the raid of his station, was unreachable for a comment, but his Eastern Province counterpart Luckson Sakala confirmed that police in the region were also looking for Banda, who had fled from Lusaka.

“That incident of cadres beating a police officer happened in Lusaka. Here in Chipata we have just been looking for this fugitive suspect. He ran away from Lusaka. I will not disclose the name. We have launched a manhunt for this person and we will not mention the name so that he is left in suspense.”said Commissioner Sakala.

Banda is the same PF official who urinated in the mouth of then Post Newspaper Reporter Peter Sukwa in December 2015, during the presidential by-election campaigns in Vubwi.

He was fined K14, 000 for assault after being found guilty by the Vubwi Magistrates’ Court.

In February last year, Banda was expelled from the party by Provincial Chairman Andrew Lubusha, on grounds that he had breached the PF constitution, but President Edgar Lungu nullified the expulsion, saying Banda who was a Petauke District official then, had not been granted an opportunity to be heard.

And in February this year, Banda was one of the PF cadres who disrupted a Law Association of Zambia-organised public discussion on Constitutional Amendment Bill number 10 of 2019 at Intercontinental Hotel.

A few months later, Banda was elevated to the rank of Provincial Youth Chairman, a post he currently occupies.