MWABA

By CHUSA SICHONE-
THE Immigration Department arrested 2, 013 illegal immigrants in 2013, Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Peter Mwaba has disclosed.
In the same year, the Immigration Department prosecuted 810, removed 2,754 and deported 392 illegal immigrants.
Dr Mwaba said this during the closure of a five-day senior and regional immigration officer’s annual conference in Lusaka at the weekend.
“It is my sincere wish to commend you for maintaining internal security in the period under review and I wish you to continue on this favourable note,” he said.
Dr Mwaba commended the Immigration Department for collecting K161, 436, 230, 16, which exceeded the set target of K101, 000,000 in 2013.
He also lauded the Department for maintaining internal security last year urging for similar efforts in future, as this helped to safeguard the nation.
The Permanent Secretary said Government through the E-Governance project hoped to create a platform for effective immigration management as stipulated in the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP).
He said Government was aware of the various challenges the Immigration Department faced and that it had taken measures to address them.
He cited the construction of the new Immigration headquarters, recruited 177 immigration officers and the harmonisation of conditions of service for immigration officers in relation to other security wings.
Immigration Department deputy Director-General Denny Lungu said the officers came up with resolutions which would be implemented by using strategies to overcome the challenges the Department was grappling with.
“We are committed to contributing to the nation in keeping internal security and economic development, as per our Mission Statement,” he said.