By ALICE NACHILEMBE
The Department of Immigration in Nyimba has apprehended 87 Ethiopian nationals and one other person of Ethiopian origin whose nationality is yet to be determined.
Immigrations Public Relations Officer Namati Nshinka said the Officers at Nyimba Immigration Office intercepted the first group of 24 on April 7, 2022.
He said they pursued and managed to apprehend the other 64 on April 10, 2022, as they hid in the hills in Kacholola.
Mr Nshinka said the five day operation followed a tip-off from a Zamtel Employee who had reported spotting some foreigners in the bush during a routine inspection of a Tower.
He said none of the 88 had any documentation on them during their apprehension.
They are currently detained at Nyimba Correctional Facility pending further immigration formalities.
Similarly the Katete Immigration Office, on April 3, 2022, also intercepted 26 Congolese nationals in a suspected case of human smuggling.
Mr Nhinka said the 16 adults and 10 juveniles were stopped at a Check-Point mounted on Great East Road near Mpito Village in Kawaza’s Chiefdom aboard a Chipata-bound Zebra-Kiss Coaches Public Service Bus.
He said this was after the Officers conducted an immigration status verification exercise on all passengers on board, following a tip-off from concerned members of the public.
Mr Nshinka said among the 26 intercepted was a 57- year- old Congolese man, Yaya Ngongo, who is suspected of having attempted to smuggle the 25 Congolese.
He said the Katete Immigration Office intends to charge Yaya Ngongo with 25 counts of attempted smuggling.
At the same time, the sixteen (16) adults are likely to face the offence of consenting to be smuggled.
Meanwhile, the Department also removed 132 illegal immigrants from Zambia during this same period and secured 60 convictions.
