By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, April 16, Mana: The Senior Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe has convicted four men and slapped them with various imprisonment sentences, ranging from 13 to 20 years each, for commiting robbery in Lilongwe’s Area 46 on December 25, 2024.

According to Lilongwe Police Station spokeperson Hastings Chigalu, the convicts have been identified as Yohane Daniel, 26, Evance Lufeyo, 39, Madalitso Soniyala, 37, and Dickson Mavuto, 30.

Chigalu said Daniel and Lufeyo have been sentenced for 20 years whereas Soniyala and Mavuto have been jailed for 18 and 13 years, respectively.

Chigalu said on the stated date at around 01:20 hours, a group of more than ten criminals, including the convicts, while armed with panga knives, burglar bars and hacksaws, broke into a certain family’s house in Area 46 where they started demanding money, cellphones and laptops.

“And to force their demands, the criminals hacked and wounded two children and two other family visitors who had come for a wedding ceremony to take place the next day.

“Looking at how the children were bleeding after the assault, the family succumbed and surrendered to the criminals two cellphones and K25,000, all valued at K600,000,” he said.

Chigalu further said after instituting investigations, detectives arrested three of the convicts before arresting Lufeyo at Kamuzu Central Hospital where he was receiving treatment.

Representing the state, Assistant Superintendent Evance Kantukule of Lilongwe Police Station prayed to the court to give the four a stiffer sentence, citing the manner in which the offence was committed, in addition to its seriousness in nature.

Kantukule further said that by resorting to hacking and wounding innocent children for the convicts to get what they wanted, they clearly demonstrated their savagery behaviour that deserved no mercy of the court.

Passing his sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Bracious Kondowe concurred with the state by describing the convicts as very dangerous and a threat to society, adding they deserved temporary isolation from the outside world.

He then went on to pronounce the respective imprisonment sentences with hard labour to the four convicts, depending on each convict’s role in the robbery.

Meanwhile, a manhunt for the convicts’ accomplices who are still at large is underway.

Both Soniyala and Mavuto come from Lilongwe in Traditional Authority (T/A) Malili and T/A Kalumba, respectively.

On the other hand, Daniel comes from Mlangali Village in area of T/A Kachere in Dedza, and Lufeyo hails from Mwanje Village in T/A Kadewere in Chiradzulu.