Written by Gift Asibu:
Police in Blantyre, say are yet to formally receive any complaint from the Malawi University of Applied Science (MUBAS) on reports making rounds on the social media, alleging that street connected kids are attacking students from the institution.
Blantyre Police Station Public Relations Officer, Peter Mchiza has told Umunthu FM police are only aware of the alleged attacks through social media, such that, they have instituted investigations to ascertain their credibility.
“Currently, students nor officials at the institution have not lodged any complaint to such regard so that we investigate and apprehend the culprits”, said Mchiza.
He added that, “we are only seeing the reports on the social media platforms. However, we are conducting investigations to get to the bottom of the matter”.
According to Mchiza, preliminary investigations conducted by the law enforcers into the recent alleged attack on a student, have established that they were not carried by the street kids as portrayed in social media but fellow students, following a fracas that erupted at a certain drinking joint.
President for MUBAS Students Union, Wyson Vinthenga said the attacks have created fear among students, as the attacks are occurring on and off campus.
Vinthenga claimed that so far, six students are nursing different kinds of injuries which have emanated from the attacks.
“We are failing to go about our daily business even going to the library for fear of the street kids especially at night”, said Vinthenga.
“The street kids always demand money which if you don’t have, they attack you instantly and mercilessly, “lamented Vinthenga.
For the past weeks, social media has been awash with reports that students at Malawi University of Applied Science (MUBAS) are attacked by some street connected kids popularly known as “Ana amasikini”.
In 2020, the government through the then Ministry of Gender, and Social Welfare embarked on an operation of removing street children out of the country’s streets, but the operation ended abruptly.
