The Zambia Police Service has detained a 13 year old boy and his father for safety following an uproar in the community within Lusaka after revelation that the juvenile was initiating younger children to obtain supernatural powers.
While the country is celebrating its 60th birthday with immense concentration of remaining as a Christian nation, it has been revealed that the teenage boy was preying on younger children with promises of supernatural powers and invincibility.
The juvenile, established a makeshift shrine where he indoctrinated a group of boys aged eight to 10.
To convince the boys, the juvenile told his friends that they would receive immediate Muhammad Ali powers and techniques and also, that they would be attractive to every girl, without even having the need of using a manifesto at their tender age.
So last week Friday, the juvenile organised the 10 boys and led them to a bush, an encounter that one of the victims narrated to ZNBC news.
“He told me that let’s go to the bush. When I asked him what I was supposed to go and do, he asked me to keep quiet and just follow him, that he will tell me what to do when we reach,” one of the Boys narrated.
“After we reached, we sat down and he started burning a dead snake, and a dry stick which he pounded into powder, and then he tattooed me and applied the powder on me,” the boy said.
But the tattoos on the legs, back, shoulder and hands did not come for free, there was a payment attached to them.
The boys were reportedly told to stay away from eating okra, eating food directly from the pot, or seating on the carpet, stating that if they vi0lated these conditions, the powers would be reversed.
A mother to one of the victims shared how she discovered her son had been tattooed.
“I asked my son if he had tattoos and he refused until we were forced to get a torch and discovered that he had them on his legs, hands. He then said his friend Thomas is the one who gave them to him promising that they would make him strong and defensive as a snake, preventing anyone from beating him.”
The mothers to the victims all shared a sorrowful story stating that their children have not been having peaceful sleep since the ordeal as they have been having nightmares in the middle of the night.
They added that what hurts them the most is the fact that the accused juvenile will be set free once he goes through rehabilitation while their children will remain with the Mark’s.
Therefore, they called for the relocation of the Juvenile’s family as they believe they have been practicing w!tchcr@ft.
But the mother to the accused juvenile, Happy Kanyika said she is not aware of the accusations being directed at her son, and neither does she believe her son did it.
“I don’t know anything, If at all they had gotten these children, (alleged victims) and told them to say my son Tom is the one who did that to them, only God knows,” Kanyika said.
Meanwhile, police assistant public relations officer, Godfrey Chilabi who confirmed the incident said police have detained the juvenile and the father.
“We are currently waiting for forensic results and medical report forms that were issued to the 10 victims. We have held the accused boy and the father at a place of safety for custody as the community was angry,” said Chilabi.
