By ALICE NACHILEMBE
The Chipata Regional Immigration Office has detained 15 Ethiopians for the offence of unlawful entry.
The group aged between 16 and 25 years was intercepted on 31st August, 2021 around 23:00 hours aboard a Toyota Regius Vehicle registration number ALF 1143 by Officers from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) at Madzimoyo Bridge, 27 Kilometers from Chipata.
Immigration Department Public Relations Officer Namati Nshinka said none of the 15 had any documentation authorizing them to enter or stay in Zambia.
Mr Nshinka said they are currently detained at Chipata Central Police and are being transferred to Namuseche Correctional Facility pending prosecution.
He said the driver of the vehicle fled the scene.
Mr Nshinka said this brings the number of persons apprehended by the Department for immigration-related offences between 30th and 31st August to 48.
He said the Department of Immigration in Lusaka on 30th August, 2021 secured the conviction of a 24-year-old Burundian national Obedi Irankunda for the offences of failure to appear before an Immigration Officer, unlawful stay and engaging in business without a permit.
Similarly, the Lusaka Regional Immigration Office on 30th August, 2021 also secured the conviction of a 36-year-old Rwandese national Joseph Mugwaneza for unlawful stay and unlawful return,
He was sentenced to pay a fine of K 25,000 or in default 9 months simple imprisonment.
“The Department wishes to encourage members of the general public with information of an individual, business, or employer who may be aiding and abetting illegal immigrants to contact the Department of Immigration,” he said.
