Police miss their own deadline to hand over Okahandja 5 docket to PG

Prosecutor general Martha Imalwa has confirmed she is yet to receive the case docket into the deaths of five suspected robbers at Okahandja.

This comes seven days after the Namibian Police undertook to hand it over to her office.

National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi 12 days ago said the docket would be sent to Imalwa’s office by 27 February for her consideration.

Imalwa said yesterday: “I answered a fellow journalist of yours some few minutes ago to say my office has not received the docket. I also inquired from the police, and they said the docket is still with them.

“I do not know where the media got it that the docket has been submitted to the PG’s office. Where is this information coming from?”

Shikwambi told the media on 22 February that two pending critical statements on the matter had been collected.

She said a sixth suspect in the case had been netted by the police, and that 15 statements and 14 supporting documents in total were obtained.

“Therefore, keeping in line with the institutions, systems and processes governing the discharge of our mandate, the case docket is expected to be submitted to the prosecutor general during the course of next week – latest on Tuesday, 27 February, 2024, for the prosecutor general’s consideration,” she said in an email to the media.

Imalwa, however, insisted that the docket needed to be submitted to her head office and not at the district court.

She said the police are understaffed, which could be why progress has not been made.

“When did this incident take place? Was it not last year? Why should I be concerned then? The police have many cases they are investigating, and I think the police, like my office, have been on record that they have a shortage of manpower.

“If that is the case, how could I be concerned with the police only taking a year, or less than a year, to investigate the case? From what I have read in the newspapers, it will not be any easy and straightforward matter to investigate,” Imalwa said.

Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo, who initially said there was no delay, said evidence needs to be obtained from more witnesses who have accused the police of murder on public platforms.

“Communication between us and the office of the PG is there. There are people who are actually coming up with a lot of information. Therefore, I wrote a letter to those people to submit their statements to commissioner Naruseb.

“There are those who are claiming they have evidence of the police being corrupt. I have invited those people to come and give statements to commissioner Naruseb before the docket is sent to the PG,” he said.

Shikongo has confirmed sending the same letter to Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters economic commissar Michael Amushelelo.

Amushelelo has demanded that the police arrest those responsible for killing the five alleged robbery suspects at Okahandja in April last year.

He demanded this in a petition he handed over to police deputy inspector general Elias Mutota last week.

Five men were killed in a shooting incident at Okahandja during the evening of 25 April last year.

The men were identified as Erikki ‘Akawa’ Martin, Abed Andreas, Marius Ipinge, Malaika Kotokeni and Flavianus Endjala.
“I have already made the evidence I have public. So I don’t know what further evidence they seek.

“One can clearly see there is a massive cover-up of this whole incident, and this is why we are saying the police cannot be trusted with investigating themselves.

“Even if the docket does arrive at the Office of the Prosecutor General we do not think it is going to be a docket with sufficient evidence.

“The mere fact that they want to hand over a docket without making any arrests is clearly indicative of the fact that there is nothing substantial in that docket they want to give to Martha Imalwa,” Amushelelo said.