Former Tanzanian ambassador to Cuba, Humphrey Polepole, who recently resigned from the overseas diplomatic post, said his sister who lives in Dar-es-salaam City has been abducted.
“A gang of thugs, possibly people sent specifically for the mission, jumped over the walled fence of my sister’s house, in the Mbezi Beach area, held her captive at gunpoint,” explained Polepole.
“I am vehemently opposed to the ongoing series of abductions, kidnapping and enforced disappearance of people in Tanzania and now my own sister has become another victim of these political-driven crimes,” Ambassador Polepole lamented during a virtual press conference on Friday.
He complained that his sister, Christina Hezron Polepole was pistol-whipped, molested, beaten and whisked off to an unknown location, where she is still being held and tortured to reveal Polepole’s whereabouts.
“They are torturing her to extract information which she doesn’t have,” Polepole stated.
The Dar-es-salaam Police Zone Commander, Jumanne Muliro said the police were investigating the incident of Christina Polepole’s abduction.
However, the Police Boss said the 52-year-old abducted lady had already been returned home by her kidnappers.
But the former envoy to Cuba smells foul play which, according to his press, could have been orchestrated by people in high places.
As it happens, Polepole recorded his video speech from an undisclosed location.
In fact that is the reason why the former diplomat could not receive and answer questions from the media or any other party.
As a result, observers and other critics only managed to post their quarries and comments on social media platforms that showed his ‘press conference,’ on their pages.
Some questioned Polepole’s audacity to speak against the current waves of abductions while he maintained silence during President John Magufuli’s era when the kidnapping rackets started.
During his virtual and remote press conference, Polepole also criticised the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) process of selecting a presidential candidate.
According to the former Cuban ambassador, there were irregularities in the whole practice, accusing the former President, Jakaya Kikwete of forcing his own will during the party’s meeting in Dodoma.
Humprey Polepole insists that he is still a staunch member of the ruling CCM party and has no plans to go into exile.
Recently, there were rumours that the former envoy to Cuba was seeking asylum in any of the Scandinavian countries for his safety, but Polepole later refuted the claims on social media.
Polepole recently tendered in his resignation from diplomatic mission to Cuba, claiming that both the Tanzanian government and ruling party have lost direction.