Bortianor shooting: MP justifies parliament’s call for private investigation

Wa Central MP, Dr Rashid Pelpuo, has condemned police operations that led to the death of persons suspected to be landguards at Bortianor.

Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews he said, “We detest any situation where the police rather than directly arresting people will kill them even before they are investigated, it is something that parliament is thoroughly against and we will always call for further investigations.”

When asked which other alternative should have been adopted because police accounts say they were met with firepower, he said that it was part of the reason they [parliament] had called for investigations to ascertain the authenticity of the police claims.

Dr Pelpuo, who is also the President of the African Parliamentarians Forum on Population and Development, added that it was time for the Inspector-General of Police to “mount policemen who are going on operations with camera’s so when they are operating they should demonstrate that.”

He stressed that the incident was of interest to parliament, hence the body would go the extra mile to find answers.

According to him, the security service has the requisite skills and training to carry out operations and investigations without inflicting harm or pain on civilians.

Four days after the shootout, the police in a press release justified the action on the bases that the individuals had been terrorising residents and landowners at Bortianor and nearby communities.