A JUDGE heard that late Independent Broadcasting Authority director general Guntila Muleya begged that his 鈥榗aptors鈥 do not pick him from Mika Convention Centre because he had misgivings about them.
This is in a case four men are accused of killing Mr Muleya last year on July 23.
The accused are Samuel Dokowe, a systems engineer, his brother M鈥橳husani, a police officer, Caleb Zulu, another cop and IBA accountant Francis Chipyoka.
The four allegedly killed Mr Muleya, 44, before his body was found with deep bullet wounds in the head by a passer-by in Lusaka鈥檚 Njolwe area.
They denied the allegations before Judge Vincent Siloka.
During trial, a manager at Mika Convention Centre, Richard Kapili, narrated that that Mr Muleya resisted when some men tried to apprehend him over some investigation.
鈥淭hey continued to force him into the car, it took some time for them to push him in the car,鈥 Mr Kapili said.
During trial yesterday, Mr Kapili said on the material day, he reported for work and that later around 18:00, he heard some commotion outside in the car park.
When he went outside to check, he saw a man in handcuffs shouting for help.
鈥溾 saw him in handcuffs and two guys were forcing him to get into the car. I approached them because of the noise they were making and told them to tone down because they were alarming our other clients鈥.
Mr Kapili said the man in handcuffs(Mr Muleya) was resisting when some men tried to apprehend him.
鈥淭he man in handcuffs pleaded with me not to let the guys take him away because he didn鈥檛 trust them鈥e was pleading saying 鈥榩lease help me鈥.
鈥淪o in the midst of the commotion, they said 鈥榳e are police officers he [Mr Muleya] knows us and he is aware of the crime, he needs to go to the police with us.
鈥淏ecause of the way he was crying and resisting to get into the car, I was forced to ask the guys for their IDs to prove that they were police officers,鈥 the witness told Judge Vincent Siloka.
The court heard that one of the men who had a gun went with Mr Kapili and showed him a police ID.
鈥淚[then] advised him [Mr Muleya] to comply with the police and go with them. They continued to force him into the car, it took some time for them to push him in the car鈥.
Mr Kapili said five days later, he was summoned to the police to explain what had happened on July 23.
As trial continued, a barman from the Mika Convention Centre also testified that on the material day, Samuel Dokowe, one of the accused bought some Heineken larger.
Mulenga Simukoko said he had three clients at the bar, among them Dokowe, who bought two Heineken and stepped out of the bar.
He said some on July 28, he was summoned by police for an identification parade for the man he had served at the bar on July 23.
鈥淚 managed to identify the man who was a bit huge and had white beards,鈥 Mr Simukoko said before fingering Dokowe.
(Mwebantu, Wednesday, 18th June, 2025)