LUSAKA principal resident magistrate Mwaka Mikalile has issued a bench warrant against an arresting officer in a case where UPND vice president administration Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba and 19 others are in court for unlawful drilling.

On March 2, GBM and 19 party youths were arrested for unlawful drilling; a charge they denied when they took plea.

This was after police found UPND youths training at a gym, which is GBM’s building situated on Luanshya road in Lusaka and police say offensive weapons were recovered.

This followed President Edgar Lungu’s revelations that the UPND was training a militia group for purpose of causing anarchy should the opposition party lose the August 11 elections.

But a year later, trial has not yet commenced as some accused persons absent themselves from court proceedings.
When the matter came up on Friday, GBM and a few others were not present in court.

The arresting officer was equally absent prompting magistrate Mikalile to issue a bench warrant against him.

Magistrate Mikalile wants a police chief inspector Moyo to be brought on bench warrant on the next date of hearing and explain why he has failed to execute bench warrants on some accused persons in the matter.