Karonga child abductors get 2-year jail term

Karonga First Grade Magistrate’s court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Violet Nyasulu and Fishani Nkhwazi, both 20, to 24 months’ imprisonment with hard labour for abducting a child in the district.

The court heard through state prosecutor Grace Moja Phiri that the convicts, on October 31 this year, went to a nursery school where the child was learning and lied to a teacher that the child’s father had sent them to take her to a tailor for new dress measurements.

But when the victim’s father brought food for his child, he was told that the child had been taken by the convicts in the morning hours.

“The father immediately went to Nyungwe Police Unit to report the matter, leading to the arrest of the duo in Enukweni area in Mzimba District,” she said.

Appearing before court, both pleaded not guilty, and that made the state to parade two witnesses.

During mitigation, both Nyasulu and Nkhwazi prayed for leniency, with Nyasulu saying she has a six-month disabled child and Nkhwazi saying she is a bread winner at home.

The state, through Phiri, asked the court to slap the suspects with stiffer punishment, arguing the offence is very serious in nature.

Passing his sentence, First Grade Magistrate Julius Kalambo concurred with the state, saying such offences are rampant in the country.

He went on to slap Nyasulu and Nkhwazi with two years’ imprisonment with hard labour to serve as warning to would-be offenders.