By NORMA SIAME –
MORE than 140 prisoners have been moved from Milima State Prison in Kasama to the newly constructed Luwingu Prison in Northern Province.
The Zambia Prisons Service successfully carried the operation codenamed Lwansanse in which 145 inmates were moved.
Lwansanse executed at 07:00 hours, was a high security joint operation by the prisons service, Zambia Army, Zambia Police Service and the Ministry of Health.
The mass movement of prisoners was imperative following the closure of Mbala State Prison by the health inspectors which resulted in overcrowding at Milima.
Senior prisons assistant commissioner, John Yumbe said he was happy the operation was successful and that prisoners would now be kept in a humane manner.
“We are also preparing for the official commissioning of the prison by Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula on Friday (today),” he said.
The new Luwingu prison constructed using a fairly modern template, is a big improvement over the old prison which was a remnant of the colonial era.
The prisoners looked happy to be moved from the squalid conditions of Mbala Prison to the new facility.
