By 
Zambia’s Department of Immigration in Isoka district of Muchinga Province has detained 28 male suspected Ethiopian illegal Immigrants.
Namati Nshinka, the Department Public Relations Officer, said the suspected illegal Immigrants were apprehended in the early hours Wednesday, hidden in two houses in Chief Mubanga’s Mupeka Village within Isoka District.
Nshinka in a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday said this was in an operation done with the Department of Immigration-led joint operation with other security wings.
He said the Isoka Immigration Office, Tuesday received a tip-off from a concerned member of the public that some unknown persons had hidden some suspected illegal Immigrants in a house in Ntipo Village located after the Zambia National Service (ZNS) Checkpoint.
Nshinka said this was done with the view to transport them further to an unknown destination using two Toyota Noah Vehicles, two Toyota Mark X vehicles, and a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.
“Armed with this information, a joint team of Immigration Officers and Officers from other security wings embarked on a door-to-door search for the suspected illegal immigrants in Ntipo Village,” Nshinka said.
He said at the same time, they kept surveillance on two of the vehicles believed to be among the five intended to move the suspects as the drivers kept monitoring the area for an opportune time to pick up the suspected illegal immigrants.
Nshinka said sensing they were being monitored, the drivers disappeared, prompting the Officers to call off the operation at 03:00 hours temporarily.
“However, two hours later, information reached the Officers that the suspected illegal immigrants had been transferred to Chief Mubanga’s Mupeka Village, where the team rushed and apprehended the 28 suspected Ethiopian Illegal Immigrants as they hid in two houses. Unfortunately, the drivers of the five vehicles escaped and are at large,” he said.
Nshinka said investigations into the suspected migrant smuggling case are ongoing.
He said the Department of Immigration, between 19th and 23rd May 2023, also apprehended 93 persons for various immigration offences countrywide.
“During this period, the Department removed 127 illegal immigrants from the country, secured 56 convictions, and refused 22 foreign nationals’ entry for failing to meet entry requirements,” Nshinka said.
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