Mbowe arrested while heading to Central Police Station

Dar es Salaam. Police yesterday arrested Chadema national chairman Freeman Mbowe for failing to comply with a call to report at the Central Police Station as directed by Dar es Salaam Special Zone Commander, Mr Simon Sirro.

Mr Sirro had last week given Mr Mbowe 48 hours until yesterday to report at the Central Police Station, cautioning him that the police would arrest him in case he failed to comply.

Mr Mbowe who doubles as Leader of Official Opposition in Parliament is wanted by the police for questioning on his alleged links with drug abuse and trade after being named by the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Mr Paul Makonda.

However, reports from senior Chadema officials established that Mr Mbowe had decided to surrender himself to the police in the afternoon before law enforcers intercepted his car to arrest him and took him to the Central Police Station.

“Honourable Mbowe has been arrested by the police,” was a short statement posted in Mr Tundu Lissu’s twitter account.

“Honourable Mbowe has been arrested by police who have been following him as he headed to Central Police Station. He is accompanied by party lawyers,” reads party’s twitter account.

The Citizen journalist at the Central Police Station reported to have seen Mr Mbowe’s car at the station, though she couldn’t establish whether he came in it or was in a police.

His arrest has ended a week of war of words between the police on the one hand and Chadema lawyers and Mr Mbowe himself on the other.

The Chadema supremo was named by RC Makonda along with other prominent people including businessman Yusuf Manji and Bishop Josephat Gwajima as having something to do with narcotic use or trade in the city. He, however, refuted any such links during a press conference in Dodoma and was categorical he would not comply with the summons because the RC had no powers to that effect.

Chadema Director of Legal Affairs Tundu Lissu argued during an interview with the Mwananchi newspaper that he would advise Mr Mbowe not to report at the Central Police Station because proper summons procedures were violated.

“The police were not supposed to use the media in summoning Mr Mbowe. They were supposed to call him because they have his phone number, they could also either call me, our secretary general or other party lawyers. They have always been doing that and there is no day they were neglected,” he was quoted as saying.

Earlier, the Chadema’s head of Information and Communication Department, Mr Tumaini Makene, insisted that Mr Mbowe would not report to the police because the issues he was being summoned for were part of a constitutional case filed at the High Court of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam Zone. “Mr Mbowe will not report at the Central Police Station because he has filed a case on similar issues expected to start today at the High Court. That is the place the police will find him” he said.

Meanwhile, at 5:30pm yesterday, Mr Mbowe was spirited away in a police car to an unknown destination. However, reliable sources at the Station established that he would probably be taken to the Chief Government Chemist for medical examination and later, to his residence for searches, procedures all other suspects in the Makonda List were taken through.