Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo says police have not recorded any ritual killing in any part of the country.

And Kampyongo says it is not true that gassing suspects turn into cats when being pursued.

Responding to a question from Katombola UPND member of parliament Derrick Livune, who wanted find out if there were any new cases of ritual killings countrywide, Kampyongo said there was no record of ritual killing.

” I have to place it on record that no ritual killing has been alleged and that is why this narrative that people have created when they are meting out instant justice on suspects that it is ritual killing there has been no ritual killing at all. So the issue of suspects changing into cats, there is no such thing. I want to make it clear. Mr Speaker, this story was generated when the commissioner of police responsible for Copperbelt was briefing me and the deputy inspector general of police and what she was saying to us was that because of people being insensitive, one household had called the police to say there was someone on top of the roof of the house and you know when people are scared, any movement they hear, they suspect that there could be someone and what the commissioner was saying was that when they checked the ceiling where those people said there was somebody hiding, it was discovered that it was only a cat,” Kampyongo said.

“There are no ritual killers that have moved to wherever, Copperbelt to Lusaka, because no one has been killed! Maybe for the purpose of the MP, understand [that] when you say there has been ritual killing, it entails that a human being was killed with certain parts extracted from the body for suspected ritual use and we haven’t had those killings recorded anywhere.”

He also refuted claims that the criminals behind gassing incidents had supernatural powers.

“You know, it is so shocking that people are becoming so superstitious in this country to a point where even learned, well informed members of parliament should be believing in dark science, it is so shocking and we need to do better because we are Christians. So there is no such a thing dear colleagues! When our police officers are on operation, they don’t believe in such, we haven’t had any suspects out of those suspects we have arrested turning into an animal, in a cat. We have had individuals rounded up who have been helpful in the investigation, Mr Speaker, and one suspect who was gunned down. There was no animal, it was a human being who was gunned, running! So we don’t believe in such,” he said.

“When people are incensed and they hear any movement, they would suspect anything. At no point did the Commissioner of police say we found a cat turning onto a human being, she didn’t say that. Let us learn to be honest and sincere.”

He appealed to the members of parliament to stop participating in circulating falsehoods of ritual killings

“My appeal to honourable colleagues is that we should desist from this way of analyzing issues, we can do better to inform our nation properly rather than thriving on these falsehoods and beliefs which are neither here nor there. There has been no ritual killing, don’t mislead the people. We have a responsibility as leaders of the people to inform them accordingly,” said Kampyongo, Wednesday.

“So don’t participate in circulating falsehoods. Let us be responsible enough as leaders so that our people can be calmed down. What has been there is this issue of spraying which the police are dealing adequately even as we sit here, a number of arrests have been made and police are making headways in zeroing in on the culprits doing these activities. So there are no ritual killings.”