Police in Kitwe have arrested National Democratic Congress national youth chairman Charles Kabwita and charged him with conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

According to a brief statement issued by the NDC media team, Kabwita was assaulted by PF supporters before his arrest.

The NDC media team charged that Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo ordered Kabwita’s arrest.

“National Democratic Congress NDC leader Charles Kabwita has been detained by state police in Kitwe. Mr. Kabwita has also been allegedly assaulted by Pf thugs. State police are refusing Mr Kabwita to access medical attention. According to our party Stewart’s in Kitwe, Mr Kabwita has been detained on the instructions of Home Affairs Minister Steven Kampyongo. The detention of Mr Kabwita is purely political persecution. NDC has been reliably informed that Minister kampyongo accosted Mr Kabwita at a public gathering in Kitwe today. Mr Kampyongo was in the company of Mines Minister Richard Musukwa and National Planning Minister Alexander Chiteme,” read the statement.

“According to initial reports, Hon. Stephen Kampyongo had complained to Mr Kabwita that the NDC was causing sleepless nights for the PF. Before our National youth chairman could respond, he was attacked by pf cadres. It was at that point that Kampyongo then ordered state police to arrest and detain comrade Kabwita. As NDC will want to express our dismay at the continued harassment of our leader’s. Zambia is slowly drifting into a dictatorship and police state.
As NDC, we are ready to meet the Pf and state police in the courts of law.”

Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed the arrest in an interview saying he was charged with conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

Katanga said she had to contact officers on the ground to get details on what Kabwita did.