Martin Endjala
About eight undercover police officers in Rundu have been accused of brutally beating a 19-year-old boy in Rundu last month in connection with the theft of some phones.
A case has been opened at the police station by the victim.
The Kavango East regional Deputy Commissioner Mulao Sonicah Matongo, confirmed the incident to the Windhoek Observer last week.
“Yes we are aware of the allegations and the complaint also opened a case and the police are currently busy investigating,” she said.
Matongo also clarified that the complainant was not beaten by officers of the Namibian Police but by undercover agents of the military police.
Sikodi Petrus Ndumba, who lives in Rundu, narrated the harrowing ordeal at the hands of Namibian Defence Force members to the Windhoek Observer last week.
Ndumba said that on 10 August after coming home after helping his mother at the market, he fell asleep at about 19h00.
He said his friend’s sister came to fetch him up to go help her collect alcohol bought by her brother at the Wetu bar.
After collecting the beverages, the two sat on the sidewalk next to a street and took a few sips from the drink while they waited for her boyfriend when suddenly an unmarked bakkie pulled over next to them. The occupants of the vehicle asked him if he was Ndumba.
“The driver asked the question. Normally when someone calls you by your name, you say yes and the next thing I saw was a group of eight men storming out of the bakkie and putting handcuffs on me. They threw me into the bakkie and drove off with me,” he narrated.
Ndumba said the undercover officers did not read him his rights, show him their badges or even the reason for his arrest.
“They took me to the riverbed known as Efundula and there they took me out of the car and handcuffed my arms on a tree and they started brutalising me. They were beating me and kicking me all over. That’s when they said I stole some phones,” he said.
At that point, he started yelling and crying for help since there were houses nearby.
Ndumba said that at some point they also hit him on his chest with pistols.
He pleaded and begged them to stop as he attempted to convince them that he did not do it and that they caught the wrong person.
Ndumba said the men threatened to kill him because he was a nobody and that no one saw where they brought him.
“The beating only stopped after I lied and told them I knew who stole the phone. They then drove me to the place and left me alone in the bakkie. I ran away to my aunt’s place, she came to my rescue and took me to the police station to report the matter,” he stated.
At the police station, he found to his surprise that the undercover officers had already told the police officers at the station to arrest him if they saw anyone in handcuffs because he escaped.
Because he was reported as an escapee, he was taken into custody by the officers on duty at the police station.
He said he was kept in custody over the weekend and released on Monday.
Ndumba said he was not taken to court nor given bail.
“If I was their suspect and they had evidence, the normal practice would have been for me to appear in the magistrate court and maybe be freed on bail. This did not happen,” he said.
He said when he tried to open a case against the men, the officers who were on duty that arrested him denied him his right to open a case.
He was only successful later when the next shift came on duty.
Ndumba is demanding justice and wants the members of the military police and the officers on duty during his arrest, to be dealt with for failing to follow procedures and for beating him and torturing him without evidence.
