Police in Ndola have stopped a group of United Party for National Development supporters from conducting a procession to celebrate the release of party president Hakainde Hichilema.

Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed this development to News Diggers! in interview saying the supporters did not get a permit.

“Yes it’s true, it’s true we instructed them to be stopped because the law has not been followed and we have been warning them to say let them comply with the law if they intend to conduct any demonstrations. Let them follow the law, they shouldn’t allow themselves to go into conflict with the law because it would be applied if people do that,” said Katanga.

“We have always said that if people want to conduct a procession, there is a Public Order Act and that is the procedure which everyone should follow. The Public order Act is very clear that if you want to conduct a possession you should notify the police about your intention to conduct a procession just like anyone else but they didn’t do that, they didn’t tell us about it so we stopped them. But no one has been arrested, we just moved in and stopped that procession because every procession has to be regulated as the law requires.”