A ZAMBIA Army officer, Lieutenant Nigel Mwaba, who is accused of murdering his lover Dr Tasila Tembo, has denied the charge before the Lusaka High Court.

Meanwhile, Mwaba, 33, has through his lawyer applied to be taken to Chainama Hospital for assessment for a condition called disruptive, impulse-control and conduct disorder.

(Disruptive, impulse-control and conduct disorders refer to a group of disorders that include oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania and pyromania. These disorders can cause people to behave angrily or aggressively toward people or property.)

In this matter, Mwaba is facing one count of murder.

It is alleged that the accused between October 24 and October 26, 2020 in Lusaka, murdered Dr Tembo.

When the matter came up for plea before Lusaka High Court judge Wilfred Muma, Monday, the accused said he understood the charge after it was read to him.

He however, pleaded not guilty.

After taking plea, Mwaba’s defence lawyer, informed the court that Mwaba had an application to make, which was for him to be taken to Chainama Hospital for assessment for a condition or conditions known as disruptive impulse- control disorder.

The State did not object to the application.

Judge Muma granted the application and adjourned the case to February 15, 2021 for mention.

Mwaba was arrested a month after Dr Tembo was murdered.

This was after he was spotted at Leopards Memorial Park around 16:00 hours when he requested workers at the cemetery to show him where Dr Tasila had been buried.

Police in Lusaka had initially launched a manhunt for Mwaba who was suspected to have murdered Dr Tembo.

In a statement, acting police spokesperson Danny Mwale announced that Dr Tembo’s body was found in a decomposed state covered with leaves in an army training centre in Mikango area.

“Police in Lusaka received a report of a missing person in which it was reported that a female identified as Dr Tasila Tembo, aged 47, of plot number 1732 Meanwood, Ibex Hill, went missing. This occurred on October 24, 2020 around 16 hours. Investigations into the matter were instituted and on October 27, 2020, at 13:00. Police discovered the body of a woman, who was later identified as Dr Tasila Tembo. The body was found in a decomposed state covered with leaves in Nanking Army Training Centre in Mikango area,” narrated Mwale.

“The body was temporarily buried at a traditional burial site in Mikango area awaiting post-mortem to be conducted today at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH). Police have since launched a manhunt for the suspect, who has been identified as Lieutenant Nigel Mwaba, aged 33, of Zambia Army in Lusaka. We appeal to members of the public, who may have the information of the whereabouts of the suspect, to report to any police station.”