Five Zambians have been detained in Nyimba District for aiding and abetting 27 undocumented Ethiopians, the Immigration Department has disclosed.
The five – Chrispin Mwanza, Luckson Banda, Alphonso Phiri, Haggai Sakala, and Shaderick Jere – of Chipata, Nyimba, and Katete districts respectively were intercepted yesterday at Kacholola checkpoint by the police and Zambia National Service officers.
The suspects were carrying 27 undocumented male Ethiopians aged between 12 and 27 in three separate vehicles.
And in Petauke, the Immigration Department has apprehended 27 Malawian nationals destined for South Africa and Zimbabwe using forged travel documents.
The group, consisting of 24 males and three females aged between 23 and 42, was intercepted aboard a public bus by alert Immigration officers at Kabele Checkpoint about 15km from Petauke.
Immigration Department spokesperson Namati Nshinka explained that during an onboard immigration status check the officers noticed some inconsistencies in some of the travelers’ explanations regarding their reasons for embarking on their journeys.
Nshinka said most of the suspects had fake travel documents with some of the men’s travel documents bearing female names while the identity photos on some of the passports appeared to have been substituted.
“In addition, they all failed to show proof of financial means to complete their journeys let alone sustain their stay in their countries of destination. They are all detained at various police stations pending further investigations,” Nshinka said.
Meanwhile, the Immigration Department has removed 66 illegal immigrants from the country and refused entry to 10 foreign nationals for failing to meet the entry requirements. This happened between August 1 and 5.
“We wish to warn foreign nationals who intend to access this country using unlawful means that our officers across the country are alert to thwart any such attempts,” he says.
Nshinka says the Department would not hesitate to arrest anyone found wanting and commended other law enforcement agencies for their support in curbing illegal immigration.
