9 Ethiopians nabbed aboard a hearse

Of course, it is their funeral! Some tricksters have taken the business of transporting illegal immigrants to a new oddity, using a hearse to smuggle Ethiopians.

On Saturday afternoon, the Department of Immigration intercepted a dark blue minibus branded Chimbwabwa Funeral Services which was carrying nine Ethiopians who claimed to have been on their way to Dzaleka Camp.

According to regional immigration spokesperson Comet Jeremiah, immigration officials at Phwezi Roadblock in Rumphi grew suspicious when they saw an empty hearse speeding down the hilly road on the pretext that it was going to carry a corpse at an undisclosed destination.

However, the publicist said the funeral shuttle, which was said to be from Lilongwe, was in no time intercepted by community members near Mchenga Coal Mine who alerted the immigration officials when the motorists refused to open the vehicle.

Unsurprisingly, the vehicle was captured on Mchenga-Mhuju-Phwezi unpaved road which has become a major bypass for people evading the strategically positioned Phwezi Roadblock which lies between natural barriers—Phwezi Hills and South Rukuru River on its margins.

In an interview, Jeremiah said: “It’s true we have seized a hearse, KU 3887, belonging to Chimbwabwa Funeral Services which was carrying nine illegal immigrants and two locals, Fred Chimbwawa of Lilongwe and Alex Madeya of Phalombe.

“The two have been charged with aiding and abetting the entry and stay of illegal immigrants.”

Regional immigration officer Nelson Kanhande told The Nation last week that plans are underway to erect a checkpoint on the unpaved bypass which is eroding the gains registered at Phwezi post.

This week, Mzuzu Magistrate’s Court continues to hear a case in which seven police officers are testifying against their boss, Northern Region Police Mobile Service officer-in-charge Leonard Mtokoma, who is being accused of abusing a police van to smuggle 26 Ethiopians from Ipiyana in Karonga to Raiply in Mzimba.