MP’s attack and the riddle of ‘unknown assailants’

Dar es Salaam. The assassination attempt on Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) President and opposition Chief Whip Tundu Lissu has reignited the hot debate over cases of attacks which blamed on “unknown” or “unidentified” people and in almost all cases the attackers remain at large.

On Thursday, unknown people sprayed 28 to 32 bullets at Lissu’s vehicle in Dodoma and five of the bullets wounded the lawmaker in the latest of the many shocking incidents that left the nation guessing over who the assailants were or what their motive was.

Home Affairs Minister Mwigulu Nchemba yesterday ordered the police to investigate Lissu’s shooting but the opposition party Chadema leaders demanded a broader inquiry into cases where the so-called unknown people attacked individuals, police investigated but no report ever came out about the attackers. Chadema’s Secretary General Dr Vicent Mashinji told reporters at a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the tendency of terming the attackers “unknown people” is now becoming too monotonous for the nation to bear.

“We want to know who those unknown people are because they must be living in this country and we stay and eat with them. More than eight serious incidents occurred in the country which involved kidnapping or attacking by unidentified people. This cannot be tolerated anymore,” he said.

Dr Mashinji said, “Those believed to be unknown people are those who brandished a pistol to former minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Nape Nnauye in the past few months. But police said they are still unknown.”

Questions over who the unknown people are, were until Thursday trending on social media following Mr Lissu’s shooting.

Veteran journalist Ndimara Tegambwage also raised the matter on twitter. He wrote, “What? Tundu Lissu gunned by unidentified persons in Dodoma? Unidentified in the broad daylight? Therefore seen but not identified? Unknown?”

In recent years, there have been incidents of people being kidnapped and tortured by who have always been believed to be unknown people.

This year, separate incidents occurred in April when Bongo Flava Artist Ibrahim Musa (alias Roma Mkatoliki) was kidnapped and reportedly tortured by unknown people for almost three days.

Mr Musa came out to explain to the public, saying the kidnappers damped him on the shores of the Indian Ocean, but the kidnappers remained unknown.

About three weeks ago, there was an explosion at a city law firm, IMMMA Advocates; in an incident that Dar es Salaam Acting Special Zone Police Zone Commander Lucas Mkondya said was carried out by unknown people.

However, Mr  Mkondya allayed public fears that the explosion was caused by a bomb blast. He said it was too early to determine the nature of the explosion at the IMMMA Advocates House.

During a press conference held by Chadema in the city yesterday, former Prime Minister and member of Chadema’s national committee Fredrick Sumaye said all those incidents that have occurred in the country were not investigated fully and he alleged that “nothing has been done.” Since the year 2008 to date over six incidents occurred in the country and they were believed to be organized by unknown people. 

In 2008 two journalists - Saed Kubenea, the publisher of the weekly Mwanahalisi newspaper, and the then editor, Ndimara Tegambwage were attacked by a gang of unknown people who stormed the paper’s offices in Dar es Salaam, beating both with machetes and throwing acid in Kubenea’s face.

In 2013 another incident organized by unknown people occurred. This time, they attacked Mr Absalom Kibanda, editor of the Mtanzania newspaper outside his residence. Mr  Kibanda, suffered serious head injuries during the attack.