ZOMBA (Maravi Post)—Malawi police last night arrested Chancellor College Students Union President Sylvester Ayuba James together with University of Malawi Students Union (UMSU) vice president Godfrey Pumbwa and the college’s UMSU representative Fiskan Nkhoma. The trio is being accused of inciting violence on campus.
“Ayuba James and the two others were taken to Eastern Police Headquarters here in Zomba for questioning over the events at college.
“Sources within the police ranks confidentially revealed that the questioning was just a formality as the main agenda was to arrest the students leader as the state machinery is looking for a liability over what happened yesterday with respect to students protests including the ‘US second lady motorcade hiccup’ at Matawale,” disclosed our source on Campus who later confirmed that their leaders were then officially told that they were under arrest.
“They have spent the night in the cells,” he added.
Students at Chancellor College on Monday and Tuesday went on rampage staging violent demonstrations against the raising of tuition fees by the University of Malawi Council. The two days were fully packed with running battles between the Police and the students with the latter blocking roads and disturbing traffic and the earlier spraying teargas canister to quell the situation.
At the peak of the demonstrations was an embarrassing diplomatic incident to the Malawi government when the students blocked passage of the motorcade of of Dr Jill Biden, wife to USA Vice President.
Dr Jill Biden is in the country to perform a number of functions on promotion of girl child education. However, yesterday’s function was unfortunately postponed due to the volatile situation in Malawi’s old capital of Zomba.
Meanwhile, the College has closed until further notice and students were forced to leave campus by 4:00pm on Tuesday.