An eighteen-year-old Theresia John has been confirmed dead after being shot by the police during a protest that emerged at Lulembela Police Station which is located opposite the home of the deceased girl.
A statement released on September 11, 2024, by the Police Force Spokesperson, David Misime, revealed that the incident occurred when approximately 800 residents stormed the police station, demanding the release of suspected child abductors so they could kill them. The statement confirmed the deaths of two individuals: one, a male estimated to be between 18 and 20 years old, and the other, Teresia John.
Speaking to the press on September 12, 2024, Grace Wilson, the mother of Teresia John (18), tearfully expressed her pain over the loss of her daughter, who had big dreams of pursuing education.
“My daughter was in her room, while I was in the living room. Outside, there were loud noises from people. Suddenly, my daughter screamed, calling out, ‘Mama!’ Then she collapsed. When I checked on her, she was bleeding heavily,” Grace said, tears streaming down her face.
“When we heard people throwing stones, we all went inside. She stayed in her room, on the bed. After listening to the commotion for a while, I was in the living room, then my daughter came out crying. She reached her doorway and collapsed. The bullet passed through the window,” explained the mother of six children.
In his statement, Police Spokesperson Misime said the unrest began at the Lulembela cattle market when two individuals were spotted carrying two children. The market attendees suspected them of being child thieves and began attacking them.
“As they were being attacked, a ward executive officer arrived and took them on his motorcycle to Lulembela Police Station for safety. However, about 800 people followed them to the station, demanding that the police hand over the suspects so they could kill them,” Misime said.
“The crowd began pelting the station with stones, insisting on forcefully taking the suspects to execute them. In addition to the stone attack, the mob set fire to a car parked outside the station.
“The officers, realizing the danger to people’s lives and government property, used tear gas to disperse the crowd. When that failed, they fired warning shots to break up the mob. In the chaos, two people lost their lives: a young man aged 18 to 20 and a girl named Teresia John, an 18-year-old form four student from Lulembela Secondary School, whose home was directly opposite the station,” Police statement read.
Lulembela ward executive officer Frank Gonja explained that the attackers overwhelmed the officers, even burning vehicles outside the station. This led the police to request reinforcements from the district and regional levels, resulting in the use of greater force, including live ammunition.
“A minor panic ensued after two young men were spotted carrying children, one of whom was naked. The community, already worried about recent child abductions, suspected the worst. After receiving the report, I took my motorcycle to assess the situation and take action,” Gonja explained.
He added: “My first priority was their safety, so I took them to the police station. Within two minutes, a crowd arrived. There were so many people, but the situation calmed after police reinforcements from the district and region arrived. That’s when we learned about the deaths.”
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, including efforts to arrest those involved in the unrest. Teresia’s body will be buried today, September 13, 2024, in Mbogowe, Geita.
The statement further clarified that the two individuals suspected of being child abductors were, in fact, carrying their own children. They were identified as Emanuel John (33), a resident of Kigamboni, Lulembela, who was carrying his child, Ikram Emanuel, and Ng’amba Leonard (24), who was carrying a child named John Emanuel. The children’s mother, Rachel Masunga Luhende (22), also from Kigamboni, Lulembela, confirmed that the children were hers.
This is the second known incident in which citizens have stormed a police station demanding accountability over child abduction fears, resulting in fatalities. Earlier, on August 21, 2024, a person was also killed by police gunfire in Lamadi, Simiyu Region, when residents stormed a police station over similar concerns.
The country has been grappling with a wave of abductions, particularly of children, with some victims never found or later discovered murdered. This is the fourth recorded incident in a short period in which individuals suspected of child theft have been attacked by mobs, with three other incidents occurring in Manyara in August 2024. In those cases, citizens set fire to vehicles, suspecting the perpetrators were child traffickers intent on harvesting organs.
