Congolese rhumba star Koffi Olomide is facing arrest by Zambian police on suspicion of assault, local media reported Sunday.
The privately-owned daily The Post reported that Olomide had been reported to the police for a assaulting a freelance journalist at the upmarket Taj Pamodzi Hotel Friday evening during one of his shows.
“Fourty-four year-old Jean Ndayisenga reported to Kabwata police that the multi-award winning musician kicked him in the face as he tried to take a picture of him after a show at Lusaka's Taj Pamodzi on Friday," said the Sunday Post.
Kabwata police deputy criminal investigations detectives inspector Augustine Hamoonga confirmed that Koffi had been reported to Kabwata police station for assault, the daily added.
The newspaper quoted the victim Mr Ndayisenga as saying: “He kicked me in the face and my flesh got damaged. They were a lot of people and they saw what happened."
It reported that Mr Olomide was no stranger to trouble with the Zambian police as in his previous visit two years ago he eluded a police dragnet and exited the southern African nation on a motorbike following differences with his promoters at the time.
It said in his home country, the 58-year-old Olomide appeared in court, accused of assaulting and battering his producer Diego Music Lubaki and malicious destruction of hotel facilities in August this year.
There was no immediate comment from Olomide's camp.
Olomide is in Zambia for a series of shows in the capital Lusaka and the Kitwe in the Copperbelt Province.
Olomide has a strong Zambian following but it is unclear how much damage the incident will cause to his impending shows.
An April 30, 2005 photo of Congolese singer Koffi Olomide performing at the Iba Mar Diop stadium in Dakar. The star has been accused of assault in Zambia. PHOTO | FILE 
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