Tanzanian main opposition party Chadema has announced that 11 members of their party  including their party leader Freeman Mbowe were arrested on Tuesday night.

The arrests were made ahead of a party meeting that was supposed to take place on Wednesday.

According to the statement issued by Chadema Party through the party's Director of Protocol, communications and external affairs John Mrema, the police raided Kingdom Hotel last night at around 2:30 pm and arrested their leader party Freeman Mbowe together with other party officials.

The party said that the party officials arrested with Mbowe were taken to Mwanza Police station but Mbowe's whereabouts still remain unknown as police have not disclosed where he is being detained.

Tanzanian police arrested Freeman Mbowe, John Pambalu, John Heche, Rose Mayemba, Masenya, Stephen Odipo, Dr Azavel Lwaitama, Seth, Aliponary Apollo, Frank Novatus and Benjamin Kambarage in the raid.

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Chadema party demanded the police to come out and tell the truth about where their party chairman is and also provide reasons for his arrest.

The opposition party condemned the arrests of their party chairman and other members of Chadema in the strongest terms and said that it was an infringement of Tanzanians' rights.

The party also noted that the arrests were signs that the dictatorship tendencies during the late President John Magufuli's tenure still continues under the new leadership.