Mzee Butiku Urges Action on Criminals in Tanzania

Chairman of the Board of the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation, Mzee Joseph Butiku, made these remarks in front of the press today, Tuesday, September 10, 2024, in Dar es Salaam.

“We Tanzanians are civilized; let us not say we do not know these criminals (those who rape, sexually assault, abduct, and kill people). The truth is, we know them. They live among us and within our households. They are present in our security forces (the Police Force, Prisons Service, Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (JWTZ), National Security Services, Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Immigration, and the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority, etc.). They are in our churches and mosques. I repeat, we know them, and our government must also be made aware of them.” – Mzee Butiku

“The Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation is asking us to assist the President (Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania) in obtaining accurate information about these wrongdoers so that she can take appropriate action. She has security forces with specific responsibilities to provide her with reliable information.” – Mzee Butiku

“Our country has empowered these institutions with enough expertise and operational capacity. The leaders of these agencies should not tell us that they are unaware of what is happening—they know. They should not claim to be afraid of the President; they should not use her as an excuse. Let us all assist our President, and let us not be afraid.” – Mzee Butiku

“We have only one President (Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania), not two or three, to whom we have entrusted the Constitution of our nation to lead our country, protect, and ensure the safety of all Tanzanians and legal visitors entering our nation, as well as safeguard our property. This is the fundamental duty of our President, which she carries out on our behalf. Let us support her without hesitation (in combating incidents of abduction, murder, sexual assault, etc.) in this, without question.” – Mzee Butiku