According
to
reliable
sources
speaking
to
The
Mirror,
the
Military
Police
arrested
Mamudu
(55)
at
his
residence,
located
at
440
Kairezi
Street,
Marimba,
Harare,
after
CID
Harare
indicated
they
had
been
unsuccessful
in
locating
him.
Mamudu
was
wanted
in
connection
with
a
large
drug
bust
involving
175kg
of
mbanje
(marijuana)
worth
US$22,000.
The
consignment,
originating
from
Eswatini,
had
passed
through
Beitbridge
Border
Post
enroute
to
Malawi.
Mamudu,
along
with
his
accomplice
Njima,
who
hails
from
Blantyre,
Malawi,
was
involved
in
a
dramatic
escape
in
Masvingo
on
Sunday
morning,
just
after
the
consignment
had
been
intercepted
by
authorities.
The
suspects,
traveling
on
an
FA
Roadlink
bus
from
South
Africa,
encountered
vehicle
trouble
near
the
Bulawayo
turnoff
in
Masvingo,
which
ultimately
led
to
a
police
operation.
Authorities
had
received
a
tip-off
and
waited
for
a
Nissan
NV
350
commuter
bus
from
Harare
to
arrive
at
the
scene.
The
suspects,
under
surveillance,
began
offloading
the
illicit
consignment
into
the
commuter
bus.
As
detectives
moved
in
to
arrest
Mamudu
and
his
accomplices,
the
suspected
drug
lord
and
his
son,
Joel,
along
with
Njima,
managed
to
escape
in
a
VW
Polo,
evading
capture.
However,
two
other
individuals
–
Limbikani
Mwanandi
and
Speakmore
Mhonda
–
were
arrested
on-site.
Mhonda,
a
soldier
in
the
Zimbabwe
National
Army
and
reportedly
the
son
of
Brigadier
General
Fidelis
Mhonda,
the
Presidential
Guard
commander,
claimed
in
his
statement
that
he
was
simply
helping
a
neighbor,
Joel
Mamudu,
who
asked
him
for
assistance
to
retrieve
the
consignment.
According
to
Mhonda,
he
had
no
knowledge
of
the
contents
of
the
consignment,
and
several
other
suspects
testified
they
had
never
seen
him
before
the
arrest.
Despite
this,
CID
prepared
a
case
implicating
Mhonda,
although
they
were
unable
to
locate
Mamudu,
who
was
the
prime
suspect
in
the
case.
The
Military
Police’s
involvement
raised
eyebrows
when,
just
days
later,
they
managed
to
arrest
Mamudu
and
Njima,
handing
them
over
to
the
police.
Sources
suggested
that
the
CID
had
struggled
to
locate
the
suspects,
leading
the
Military
Police
to
intervene
and
locate
them
at
Mamudu’s
house.
Interestingly,
the
CID
docket
presented
at
court
did
not
specify
how
or
by
whom
Mamudu
and
Njima
were
apprehended.
In
court
on
Thursday,
Speakmore
Mhonda,
who
had
been
arrested
with
the
other
suspects,
was
denied
bail
by
Magistrate
Elizabeth
Hanzi,
who
deemed
him
a
flight
risk
after
he
allegedly
attempted
to
flee
from
the
scene
when
detectives
identified
themselves,
only
stopping
after
warning
shots
were
fired.
Mhonda,
who
is
represented
by
Collen
Maboke
of
Ruvengo
Maboke
Legal
Practitioners,
plans
to
apply
for
bail
at
the
High
Court
on
Monday.
Meanwhile,
Joel
Mamudu
remains
at
large,
with
police
continuing
their
search.
The
case
has
raised
serious
questions
about
the
effectiveness
of
the
ZRP’s
investigative
processes
and
the
growing
involvement
of
the
Zimbabwe
Military
Police
in
handling
high-profile
criminal
cases.
The
Military
Police’s
swift
action
has
prompted
concerns
about
the
apparent
inefficiency
of
the
CID
in
this
particular
investigation.
The
case
continues
to
unfold,
and
authorities
are
under
increasing
pressure
to
address
the
issues
of
coordination
and
accountability
in
handling
such
critical
matters.