The Zambia Department of Immigration has secured eighty-nine (89) convictions, apprehended one hundred and eighty-one (181), and removed one hundred and thirty-one (131), both Zambians and Foreign Nationals for various offences committed in different parts of the country.
The Department of Immigration Public Relations Officer Namati Nshinka highlighted that on 31st August, 2022, the Kapiri Mposhi Immigration Office, secured the conviction of two (2) Pakistan nationals namely Sher Falak (26) years, a plumber, and Ahmed Zaheer (26) years, a student, for the offence of failing to appear before an immigration officer contrary to section 12(2) as read with section 56(1) of the Immigration and Deportation Act No.18 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia.
Mr Nshinka added that the Kapiri Mposhi Office intercepted the duo that was travelling on a Lusaka-bound Public Service Bus at Luanshimba Checkpoint on 28th August, 2022 when a routine examination of their passports revealed that they did not have entry endorsements.
“As a result, they were each sentenced to pay a fine of K 40,000 or, in default, nine (9) months simple imprisonment,” he said
Mr Nshinka noted that similarly, the Chadiza Immigration Office, on 29th August, 2022, secured the conviction of a 32-year-old Nigerian Businessman, Isaac Mukonge, for the offences of illegal entry, failure to appear before an immigration officer, two (2) counts of giving false information to an immigration officer, unlawful stay, and concealing of true identity.
“The Chadiza Magistrate Court sentenced Isaac Mukonge to pay a fine of K10,000 for all six (6) counts or, in default, twelve (12) months simple imprisonment,” he said
Mr Nshinka mentioned that the Kapiri Mposhi and Chadiza Court outcomes bring the number of convictions secured by the Department of Immigration through the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) between 26th August and 1st September, 2022 to eighty-nine (89).
And the Serenje Immigration Office has detained ten (10) female Ethiopians and seven (7) male Bangladesh nationals aged between 18 and 30 years for failing to appear before an Immigration Officer on entry, the Office also detained a 39-year-old Zambian driver Fabian Mutale of Ndola, for aiding and abetting the foreign nationals, the Police apprehended them on 29th August, 2022 aboard a Lusaka-bound white Toyota Quantum Vehicle Registration Number BAV 8469 after a car chase that ensued after the driver of the Toyota Quantum decided to drive past a Police Checkpoint at Pensulo.
Mr Nshinka cited that the foreigners and the Zambian were handed-over to the Immigration on 30th August, 2022, and preliminary investigation revealed that all the seventeen (17) foreign nationals had valid passports but did not have entry endorsements, indicating that they did not appear before an immigration officer on entry.
“They are all detained at Serenje Correctional Facility pending prosecution,” he said
He added that the Kasumbalesa Immigration Office has apprehended twenty-nine (29) suspected prohibited immigrants in a Department of Immigration-led clean-up operation conducted in the early hours of 29th August, 2022 in Kasumbalesa with the support of other security departments.
He further added that those apprehended were twenty-six (26) Congolese, two (2) Tanzanians, and one (1) Mozambican and none of them had any documentation at the time of the operation, and they were all detained at Kasumbalesa Police Station pending further formalities.
“The Serenje and Kasumbalesa incidents bring the number of persons apprehended for various offences between 26th August and 1st September, 2022 to one hundred and eighty-one (181),” he added
In another development, Mr Nshinka explained that the Department of Immigration in Lusaka, on 26th August, 2022, removed sixty-four (64) illegal immigrants from the country in a mass removal exercise and those removed were thirty-seven (37) Burundians, twenty-two (22) Tanzanians, three (3) Somalis, and two (2) Rwandese, as most of the persons removed had not yet appeared before the courts but were removed to decongest the Correctional Facilities.
“The mass removal exercise brings the number of removals between 26th August and 1st September 2022 to one hundred and thirty-one (131),” Mr Nshinka explained
Meanwhile, on 31st August, 2022 the Katima-Mulilo Immigration Office received eighteen (18) Zambians removed from Namibia for illegal entry and unlawful stay. This brings the number of Zambians received after being removed from a foreign country between 26th August and 1st September, 2022 to thirty-two (32), with eleven (11) received by the same Office on 30th and 31st August, 2022 after being removed by the Namibian authorities for illegal entry and unlawful stay.
In addition, the Sakania Immigration Office on 26th August, 2022 received three (3) other Zambians after Congolese Authorities removed them from that country for various offences.
The Department of Immigration has since encouraged members of the public with information about any individual, business, or employer who may be aiding and abetting illegal immigrants or contravening any of the provisions of the Immigration and Deportation Act to report to them.
Good for removing the non African offenders but I don’t agree with removing a fellow African from African soil. How can your brother be illegal on African soils. This is why we African are still poor
Send them to Rwanda
Nigeria is just a little bigger than Zambia (950 000 sq km to 750, 000 sq km). However, much of the northern part of Nigeria is semi-arid and incapable of supporting a large population. The livable part of Nigeria is therefore far smaller than the livable part of Zambia. In addition, the population of Nigeria is between 225 million and 300 million people. That of Zambia, with all the illegals included in about 17 million. If you allow all Africans to go anywhere in Africa, Nigeria could easily send 25 million of its citizens to swamp and overwhelm Zambia, without feeling the loss. Please Google “Makoko” slum in Nigeria and tell me if you want to see such Nigerians bring such nonsense to Zambia
AFRICA IS STILL POOR NOT BECAUSE THEY AFRICAN
BUT 1D10TS LIKE YOU AND OTHERS WHO THINK OF THEIR POCKETS AND NOT THEIR COUNTRY
A GOOD EXAMPLE WOULD BE PF THAT BROUGHT THE COUNTRY TO ITS KNEES
Exactly. This is very true of the kalya-nyoko called Kaizar Zulu who looted Zambia together with PF
The report is not conclusive as it does not say when these people were prosecuted. Such reports should be detailed enough to make sense than making the reader start making his/her conclusion.
It is the beginning, not the end. But a big part of the reason for the publicisation of these actions is to enhance their deterrent quality. When these foreign crooks hear that it is no longer open season in Zambia, they will go somewhere else. The next step is to inspect all immigration records and see who bribed the immigration officers of Zambia.
Xenophobia
Welcome all the economic refugees, Zambia is now better than South Africa.
The Zambia police officer is looking clean in his uniform. I hope those drab grey uniforms my brother used to wear when he was a member of the Zambia Police Service are gone
Never mind, that is an immigration officer
Oh sorry, that is immigration
Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh are security threat. Learn from Mozambique, what these bigots have done to northern part of Mozambique.
You are a racist f00I