…Calls on Police IG to resign
Inspector General of Police Richard Luhanga is facing questions over the decision to suspend the search for the aircraft that crashed in Chikangawa Forest, with a security expert arguing that the move amounted to a withdrawal rather than a temporary tactical pause.
Luhanga, a former Northern Region Police Commissioner, recently told the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee investigating the crash that police commanders met at around 10 pm on the night of the incident to assess challenges affecting the search.
According to Luhanga, the meeting identified several setbacks, including poor road access, bad weather, weak coordination and the circulation of misleading information.
He explained that the commanders resolved to extend the operation, with some officers assigned to gather additional information about the whereabouts of the aircraft.
However, the decision to suspend the search has raised questions over why officers could not remain at the scene while additional personnel and equipment were mobilised.
A security expert has argued that a tactical pause should have been brief and should not have required officers to return to their base in Mzuzu while the search for the missing aircraft remained unresolved.
The expert questioned why the police could not arrange for additional manpower and supplies to reach the search site during the same night, noting that officers were available at the Northern Region Police Headquarters, police stations and Police Mobile Service units.
Equipment such as LED torches and protective jackets could also have been sourced in Mzuzu and transported to Chikangawa using police vehicles and a lorry, the expert argued.
The expert further questioned why, if officers had managed to travel back to their base, the police could not organise another vehicle to deliver the required supplies and personnel to the search site.
To illustrate the importance of responding to emergencies without giving up, the expert cited an incident involving a senior police officer who reportedly fell critically ill at his Area 43 residence during the COVID-19 pandemic and needed an oxygen cylinder.
According to the account, a team at Area 30 Clinic searched throughout the night for a cylinder until one was found to help save the officer’s life.
The expert argued that had the medical team adopted a similar approach to the reported suspension of the Chikangawa search, the outcome could have been different.
The account, the expert suggested, raised questions about the application of the tactical pause concept in situations where human lives were at stake and urgent action was required.
The expert maintained that the circumstances surrounding the decision raised questions about whether the operation was genuinely paused to address logistical challenges or effectively abandoned for the night.
During his testimony, Luhanga said police had planned to deploy 400 officers the following day under a new operation order to intensify the search for the missing aircraft.
He also told the committee that he informed then Inspector General of Police Merlyne Yolamu at around 11 pm that the search mission had been suspended.
The inquiry is examining the circumstances surrounding the June 10, 2024 plane crash in Chikangawa Forest, which claimed the lives of then Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight other people.
The security expert has called on Luhanga to resign, arguing that the handling of the search operation raises serious questions about his leadership, decision-making and ability to coordinate police operations during a national emergency.
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