When JJ Banda urinated in journalist’s mouth, where were the activists? State House asks
STATE House has questioned some civil society organisations condemning the apprehension and transfer of fugitive former Petauke Central MP Emmanuel Jay Banda, accusing them of selectively defending human rights.
Banda, 40, was apprehended in Mozambique and transferred to Zambia last Wednesday after more than two years on the run.
He was facing charges of attempted murder and aggravated robbery when he escaped from lawful custody while receiving treatment at Chipata General Hospital in August 2024.
His escape triggered a manhunt, with the Zambia Police Service offering a K2 million reward for information leading to his capture.
His wife, Lombe Chali, who was reportedly at his bedside, two police officers and three prison warders were also arrested in connection with the escape over allegations of aiding him.
Banda was later traced to Zimbabwe, but attempts to have him extradited to Zambia were unsuccessful.
While on the run, he took to social media, where he repeatedly attacked government and issued threats against President Hakainde Hichilema, while boasting that he would never be brought back to Zambia.
His apprehension has since sparked debate, with some civil society organisations questioning the circumstances surrounding his return and calling for accountability over the operation.
But in a statement issued today, State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka accused the organisations of inconsistency, questioning why they had not shown similar concern over Banda’s alleged past conduct.
“Where was this concern for human dignity when Mr Banda is alleged to have committed the dehumanising act of urinating in the mouth of a journalist carrying out his professional duties?” Hamasaka asked.
He said the organisations had not raised a sustained voice condemning the alleged act or enquiring into the journalist’s trauma and welfare, including that of the journalist’s family.
Hamasaka also questioned their silence over allegations that Banda raided a police station and assaulted uniformed officers.
He said the organisations’ description of Banda’s broadcasts as merely vulgar was inadequate, given the calls for assassination and the elimination of an entire ethnic community.
“If authenticated, they require explicit condemnation and urgent investigation,” he said.
Hamasaka further accused the organisations of reaching conclusions before establishing the facts, pointing to what he described as a contradiction in their joint statement of October 18, 2026.
He said the organisations had stated that they were not declaring Banda’s apprehension unlawful but went on to urge the international community to condemn what they called acts of lawlessness.
Hamasaka also questioned whether Banda had been lawfully present in Mozambique and what the organisations considered the appropriate legal means of returning a fugitive to face prosecution.
He maintained that Zambia was a sovereign state governed by the Constitution and the rule of law, adding that crossing an international border did not grant a fugitive immunity from prosecution.
Hamasaka said Banda was in custody and would be presented before a competent court to answer the charges against him.
He added that Banda would be afforded medical care, access to legal counsel and family, as well as the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
“Those who seek to turn a fugitive into a victim and a law enforcement operation into lawlessness should reflect deeply on whose human rights they truly serve,” revealed Hamasaka.