Driver flees, as 20 Ethiopian nationals arrested in Chipata for illegal entry into Zambia

The Chipata Regional Immigration Office has apprehended 20 Ethiopian nationals, aged between 15 and 28, for allegedly entering Zambia illegally.

Immigration Public Relations Officer, Namati Nshinka, reported that the suspects were apprehended on Tuesday along Kanjala Road in Chipata’s Central Business District (CBD).

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday, Nshinka stated that the individuals were found in a black Toyota Probox with registration number ARB 4296 ZM.

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“The Office received a tip-off from the Zambia Revenue Authority, and officers, along with the Police, arrived at the scene almost simultaneously. Immigration officers caught up with the Toyota Probox after the driver jumped from the moving vehicle before it came to a halt,” Nshinka said.

Nshinka explained that nineteen of the suspects had no documentation, while one carried an Ethiopian passport with endorsements for Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania but none for Malawi and Zambia.

“The driver remains at large, and the 20 Ethiopians are detained at Chipata Central Police Station pending further investigations,” he added.

On the same day, the Solwezi Immigration Office issued notices to eight Tanzanian nationals, aged 18 to 40, instructing them to leave Zambia after they provided false information to an Immigration Officer.

“The group was intercepted at the Kapiji Checkpoint aboard a Kasempa-bound LG Public Service Bus following inconsistencies in their stated purpose of visit,” Nshinka explained.

He revealed that they entered the country as ordinary visitors but intended to engage in illegal gold mining activities in Kasempa.

“Some of them were found with gold detectors. This incident came just hours after 44 Tanzanians were intercepted on August 26, 2024, by the same office in a similar situation,” he added.

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