Luanda MP Dick Maungi (checked shirt) at Luanda Police station main entrance handing over the memoranda on insecurity during the peaceful demonstrations
By John Amugune
Hundreds of residents in Luanda Constituency marched peacefully on Monday, led by area MP Dick Maungu, to protest a wave of violent attacks that have claimed a dozen lives, leaving behind a trail of blood, grief, and unanswered questions.
Victims are not only robbed of life. Some are shot in cold blood. Others are butchered with chilling brutality. And in many cases, nothing is even taken from them.
What was once dismissed as isolated crime has spiraled into a full blown security crisis across in the constituency. Many of the victims were small-scale traders and businesspeople attacked while returning home after long days of work.
Mr Maungu and Luanda Township MCA David Onjiri led the locals to Luanda police station where they presented a memorandum to the security chiefs demanding for swift action to be taken to tem the vice.
“It’s not just the killings that haunt us,” said Maungu. “Our shops are robbed and our motorcycles stolen. What is even more distressing to the public is that some of these crimes occur within areas that are only a short distance from police presence, yet arrests are rarely made and the perpetrators are ever brought to justice,”
Over the past six months, over a dozen people have been killed in shootings, stabbings, and brutal assaults. Among the victims were Beverline Afwande, who was shot on her way home after closing her Mpesa shop, businessman Philip Seka, killed outside his gate, and Shem Omoko, a motorcycle taxi rider stabbed multiple times on the roadside.
Mr Maungu told security authorities that, on behalf of the residents, he was calling for urgent action to restore safety.
He demanded increased and sustained security patrols across Luanda, particularly in known crime hotspots and along routes frequently used by traders and residents at night.
He urged swift and thorough investigations into the killings and robberies of the past six months, with a clear commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice. “The people of Luanda cannot continue living in fear while criminals operate with impunity,” he said.
The lawmaker also called for strengthened intelligence gathering and the revitalization of community policing initiatives to dismantle criminal networks, and for a firm crackdown on the sale and distribution of illegal drugs and illicit alcohol, which he said continued to endanger young people and fuel crime.
Luanda Sub County Police Commander Richard Siele addressed the crowd during the demonstration, saying that efforts to improve security were already underway. “Some of the culprits behind these attacks have been arrested and are now facing court proceedings,” he said.
He called on residents to cooperate with the police and share any information that could help dismantle criminal networks. “We cannot fight this menace alone,” Mr Siele added. “The community’s support and timely information are key to making Luanda safe again.”
Ends
