RPC orders release of Mwanachi Communications Limited journalist

Mwanza. Mwanza Regional Police Commander (RPC) Jumanne Muliro has ordered the immediate release of Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) journalist Jonathan Musa who is being held for questioning after he was caught as he followed up on reports that the police force had arrested a person alleged to have been in possession of human heads.

Reports of the arrest of the person possessing human heads caused panic among residents who later gathered in multitudes at the Nyakato Police Station to witness the incident, considered a rare happening.

Addressing journalists at his office on Thursday, February 21, 2019, the RPC said Mr Musa and his colleague who works with Star TV, Mr Sylveter Bulengela, were held after reports suggested that they were sources of the news.

"Following the panic witnessed in the city, I ordered people implicated to have spread the information to be arrested and questioned in order to reveal the truth," he said.

"However, I’ve directed the Regional Crime Officer (RCO) to process their bail,” he added.

Earlier, Mwanza Regional Crime Officer, Faustine Mafwere, said Mr Musa was being held for the offence of allegedly taking a picture of him ordering the residents to disperse after gathering outside Nyakato Police Station to following the alleged report.

Mr Mafwere was calling on residents to vacate the station as nobody was being held for possessing human heads.

Meanwhile, despite the RCO pledging earlier to release the journalist after recording the latter’s statement, he later changed his mind, saying there was a shortage of law enforcers to take statements from all the people arrested in the incident.

However, Mafwere did not mention the number of the people arrested.