By Staff Writer
The Chipata Regional Immigration Office has apprehended 18 Malawian nationals for unlawful stay and three Zambians for harbouring the Malawians.
Following reports of suspected illegal immigrants, the group was nabbed on September 15, 2023 in an operation conducted at Manzi Atuwa Farming Block, off Lundazi Road.
Similarly, the Lusaka Regional Immigration, on the same day, apprehended 17 Burundians, four Congolese, four Tanzanians, and two Nigerians for various immigration offences during a routine clean-up operation conducted in different parts of Lusaka.
Meanwhile, the Chinsali Regional Immigration Office has detained 16 Ethiopian nationals for failing to appear before the nearest Immigration Officer on entry into Zambia.
The group was handed over to the Chinsali Regional Immigration Office on September 11, 2023, after they were apprehended in Shiwang’andu by Police Officers following reports of the presence of the suspected illegal immigrants by members of the public.
They all appeared in Court on September 18, 2023 and will appear again on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.
The Chipata, Lusaka, and Chinsali incidents bring the number of persons apprehended for various immigration offences between 11th and 18th September 2023 to 171.
In another development, the Lusaka Regional immigration Office, on September 14, 2023, secured the conviction of a 23-year-old Syrian national, Kassem Al Haj Ali Mohammad, for unlawful stay and engaging in employment without a permit.
He was apprehended on 25th August 2023 at Tuckay Investment, a block-making company, when he was found working without an employment Permit during a routine compliance operation. He was sentenced to pay a fine of K 20,000 or, in default, four months simple imprisonment for both counts. The Lusaka court outcome brings the number of convictions secured by the Department between 11th and 18th September 2023 to 88.
During this period, the Department removed 61 illegal immigrants from the Country and refused entry to 17 foreign nationals who did not meet entry requirements for Zambia.
This is contained in a statement issued by Immigrations Public Relations Officer Namati Nshinka.
