Ivory war cost DCI his job sacked

President John Magufuli looks at ivory that was seized from poachers during an unannounced visit to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism headquarters in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO|STATE HOUSE

What you need to know:

  • A two-line press statement issued by Chief Secretary John Kijazi announced the sacking but did not say why. Mr Athumani will however be allocated other unspecified duties, according to the statement. His replacement will be announced at a later date.

Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli yesterday sacked the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Commissioner of Police Diwani Athumani.

A two-line press statement issued by Chief Secretary John Kijazi announced the sacking but did not say why. Mr Athumani will however be allocated other unspecified duties, according to the statement. His replacement will be announced at a later date.

However, a highly placed source in government confided in The Citizen that the top cop lost his job owing to the war against poaching.

According to the source, the President was irked by lack of progress in investigations concerning some high profile cases of poaching and ivory smuggling. Mr Athumani was apparently blamed for poor handling of cases facing apparent notorious suspects who have either not been brought before court or have their cases stuck over no apparent reason.

It was telling that the statement to drop the DCI was followed by an impromptu visit by President Magufuli to the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism in the city where he inspected a consigment of 50 elephant tusks that had been netted by a special team formed to fight poachers. He was also shown vehicles netted in the operations as well as eight suspects said to be behind a network of deadly poachers.

The President held brief talks with the ministry’s PS Major General Gaudensi Milanzi. He thanked members of the squad and urged them to sustain the operation and not spare anyone caught in the ring irrespective of their backgrounds.

The dropped DCI was appointed in May 2015 to succeed Mr Robert Manumba who had retired.

Mr Athumani had also served as the regional police commander for Shinyanga and Mbeya regions before being promoted to the post of Ag Commissioner of the Criminal Intelligence Unit. He joins a list of senior security and other government institutions who have since been suspended or sacked for different reasons. including inefficiency.