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Police last Thursday arrested UDF Ward Councillor for Liwonde, Machinga Ibrahim Kalisinje in place of his brother Sheikh Alhaj Kalisinje who is currently outside the country and is being hunted to face murder charges on suspicion that he caused the death of Sheikh Abdul Hamid Bugidad.
A family member in the Kalisinje family said on Monday Ibrahim was arrested last Thursday together with seven other UDF members reported to be Young Democrats (YDs).
“But all the people who were arrested together with our brother were released and Ibrahim has since been transferred from Liwonde to Zomba Maximum Prison,” said the family member who sought anonymity.
He also said the police informed the Kalisinjes that their brother was arrested because “Alhaj is still at large”.
“What sort of thing is this? How can they arrest someone who is not even a suspect in this case? Are we going back to the Kamuzu Banda days when people were being arrested anyhow?” queried Ibrahim’s relative.
He also said the police arrested Ibrahim “following orders from above”.
The family member also said the sheikh is being suspected of having conspired to murder Bugidad’s wife while he was already out of the country and that this is unfair.
“All this is worrying the family because everything looks to be politically motivated,” said the family member.
An officer in the public relations office Kelvin Maigwa refused to comment on the matter, saying the issue is being handled by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The DPP was not answering his cellular phone on Monday.
Kalisinje joins UDF spokesman Humphrey Mvula, UDF MP for Machinga Likwenu Rodson Jangiya and two vendors who have been arrested over the past four weeks on the same suspicions.
The late Bugidad, the former leader of Sunni Muslims Supreme Council of Malawi, died about three years ago after being stabbed by suspected UDF YDs in June 2001.
Bugidad was one of the authors of a letter that led to the arrest of 600 followers in Blantyre in May 2001. He also led a group of Muslims who were arrested at the gates of Sanjika Palace in Blantyre when they wanted to petition former president Bakili Muluzi over differences between Qadriya and its rival Sukut sects within the Muslim faith.
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