LUSAKA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Police in Zambia on Thursday picked up an opposition leader while he was appearing on a live television interview in Lusaka, the country's capital, the opposition leader and his party have confirmed.
Saviour Chishimba, leader of the opposition United Progress People (UPP) confirmed in a brief statement on his Facebook page that plain clothed police officers picked him while on a live interview at Diamond Television in the morning.
Kitizo Mukuka, the party's spokesperson said the opposition leader has been taken to police headquarters although reasons for his arrest are not yet known, according to a statement.
Esther Mwaata-Katongo, the police spokesperson also confirmed the arrest of the opposition leader but refused to give more information as he was still being questioned.
"He has been picked yes but can't comment now as officers are still questioning him," she said.
The opposition leader has been one of the fierce critics of the current government of President Edgar Lungu and has been unearthing corruption scandals in the current regime.
The opposition leader, who recently launched the "Bring Back Our Money" campaign meant to force the current government to do more to curb corruption, recently revealed that security agents had been trailing him.
His arrest comes in the wake of the arrest of the country's leading opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema in April this year who has been charged with treason.
Last month, Lungu declared a state of threatened emergency which gives the police more powers to arrest and detain people following a spate of damage to public properties, including the setting on fire of markets.
Lungu's government has come under increased international pressure, with stakeholders expressing concern that the once peaceful southern African nation was slowly sliding into dictatorship.
