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A wildlife investigations officer has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that 94 pieces of suspected elephant ivory weighing 471.8 kilogrammes were recovered from a house in the Chandamali area of Lilayi before they could allegedly be sold.
The officer, who testified under the pseudonym Peter to protect his identity, was giving evidence before Magistrate Peter Mungala in a case involving six men accused of possessing elephant ivory valued at more than K2 million.
The accused are Babou Awazi Selemani, Malikiso Inambao, Webster Muzyamba, Gift Miyanda, Mugundumu Miyanda and Mark Mukanya.
Read more: Trial begins in K2.6 million ivory case as officer details recovery of 94 tusks
Peter told the court that on March 9, 2026, while at home, he received a call from his supervisor informing him that there were men in Chandamali allegedly in possession of elephant ivory which they intended to sell.
He said wildlife officers immediately mounted an operation and proceeded to the area, where they found one man repairing a Toyota Land Cruiser while another was standing on the verandah of a house.
The witness testified that the officers identified themselves as officers from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife and requested permission to search the premises.
He said the officers entered the house with the two men and began searching the living room, where they found two women and a young girl.
Peter told the court that the officers later searched one of the bedrooms, where they allegedly discovered two black polythene bags, seven brown boxes and a 25-kilogramme sack.
He testified that Gift Miyanda was asked to open the black polythene bags, which allegedly contained three suspected elephant tusks, while Mugundumu Miyanda opened another package that allegedly contained three more suspected tusks.
The witness further told the court that when the brown boxes were opened, officers allegedly found several pieces of suspected elephant ivory.
However, the proceedings were interrupted before cross-examination after defence lawyer Brian Kabika declined to question the witness, saying he was not in the proper frame of mind because the officer had testified while armed.
Kabika told the court that the situation had traumatised him and that he required psychotherapy before he could proceed with the cross-examination.
The witness apologised to the court, explaining that he had come directly from an operation and had inadvertently entered the courtroom while carrying his firearm.
Magistrate Mungala reprimanded the officer, stating that appearing in court while armed was contrary to court procedure, and adjourned the matter to August 10, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
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