Drunk, Police In Zambia Open Cell Doors And Ask Prisoners To Leave

Illustration of Prison (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - A drunk police officer while on duty in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, sparked a stir after releasing 13 suspects from detention on New Year's Eve 2025.

Detective inspector trash Phiri, who was reportedly drunk, opened a detention cell at Leonard Cheelo's police station and let the suspects leave so they could celebrate the New Year.

According to reports, the 13 escaped detainees had serious charges, including assaults, robbery and theft. After their release, the Zambian drunk policeman also fled the scene. Meanwhile, authorities immediately launched a hunt to catch escaped prisoners.

Zambian police spokesman Rae Hamoonga revealed that on the night of the incident, Phiri took the key from the Banda Handover police forcibly.

"In a drunken state, Phiri opened the cells of men and women, then stated that they were free to cross to the new year," said Hamonga.

Of the 15 detainees detained, 13 escaped. Zambian drunk police have now been arrested and are being investigated. He has not commented on his actions.

The incident of a Nigerian drunken police opening the door of the cell so that prisoners can celebrate this New Year sparked mixed reactions from the public in the African country. The former presidential spokesman and lawyer, Dickson Jere, commented on the incident on social media.

"I laughed imagining this situation, funny! However, this incident reminds me of a similar incident in 1997," Jere wrote on Facebook.

He referred to a controversial incident on New Year's Eve 1997, when High Court Judge Kabazo Chanda ordered the release of 53 detainees, including a suspect deemed dangerous. Judge Chanda at that time stated that pending justice was tantamount to the convicted justice, because the detainees had been languishing since 1992 without undergoing trial.

The Zambian police are now carrying out intensive search operations to find the 13 escaped prisoners. The incident of the Zambian drunk police who released these prisoners is also in the spotlight of prison management and the integrity of law enforcement officers in the country.