Songwe immigration office intercept four illegal immigrants

Malawi: Officers from the Immigration Department from Songwe border on Monday, November 28th, 2022, arrested three illegal immigrants from Burundi and one from Rwanda.

The four were apprehended in CAPTAIN BUS during a routine check of travellers at an impromptu roadblock set up near Kating'inda Admarc in Iponga, Karonga district.

According to Yusuf Shaibu, the Songwe border public relations officer, the immigrants were arrested on suspicion of entering the country without following the immigration procedures, which is a violation of section 21(1) of the Immigration Act.

Interrogation of the three Burundians revealed that they were on their way to Mzuzu to attend a relative's wedding, while the Rwandese national said she was on her way to see her sister in Blantyre.

According to Shaibu, further interrogations with the Burundian suspects revealed that they all had valid travel documents but no authorization stamp or Visa endorsement to allow them to enter Malawi, and it was discovered that the Rwandan national falsely presented before Immigration Officers that she had lost her passport within Songwe Border premises.

The suspects are being held at the Kaporo Police Station awaiting deportation.

They were Aimee Musabyimana, 22, from Kigali Rwanda, Liberathe Irakunda, 24, from Rumonge Burundi, Rodrigue Nzoyisaba, 31, from Gihanga Burundi, and Rachelle Ndayibikije, 25, from Rumonge Burundi.