76 illegal immigrants from Ethiopia, Burundi and their 5 Malawian drivers arrested

The Immigration Department has bursted  on  75 Ethiopians and one Burundian for illegal entry and five Malawian drivers for aiding them into the country.

Confirming the arrest in an interview Friday, Northern Region Immigration Public Relations Officer Blackwell Lungu bemoaned why some Malawians are still aiding illegal immigrants into the country despite several awareness campaigns against the same.

The immigrants and the drivers were nabbed in Chiweta hills along the Karonga-Mzuzu M1 Road.

Lungu said aiding immigrants through illegal routes is an indirect way of opening a door for criminals and disease carriers into the country since such foreigners do not have proper documentation.

“It’s a shame that after all the messages that have been passed across the nation, some Malawians could still be unpatriotic and continue to harm this country by aiding foreigners who are not identified legally.

“These immigrants can also be carriers of diseases like Ebola as they pass through countries which have such disease outbreaks,” he said.

Lungu, however, applauded patriotic Malawians who tip the department whenever they see suspicious people.

He said the department is able to make successful raids because of such tips.

“After we got a tip from some community members at around 1 o’clock Thursday morning, Immigration officials launched a road block along the road and indeed three minibuses carrying the illegal immigrants were nabbed.

“Even though they tried to escape and hide in Chiweta Hills after realizing that there was a roadblock, our officers followed and caught,” he said.

Meanwhile, the illegal immigrants, all male, are on remand at Mzuzu Prison waiting to appear in court of law to answer charges.

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