THE Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) has arrested three suspected poachers including a 62-year-old man of Tee Village in Chief Mwanamambo’s area for unlawful possession of government trophy and fire arms.
Liuwa National Park Ranger Safely Mulala named the 62-year-old suspect as Nyambe Muwina while the other two are Nalikena Liwena and Kabanda Kabanda both of Kangeulu village of Chief Kaongolo chiefdom.
Muwina was found with a muzzle loading gun while Liwena and Kabanda were found with one tail of a wildebeest, two AK47 rifles and one round of ammunition each.
Mr Mulala expressed great concern on the increasing number of people in possession of illegal fire arms in the National Park.
The three suspects brought the number of confiscated fire arms in the Park to 12.
Mr Mulala called for massive sensitisation of the local communities especially those living inside the National Park on the dangers of illegally possessing guns.
Meanwhile, seven asylum seekers of the same family have been intercepted by Immigration Department in Isoka of Muchinga Province.
The asylum seekers who include children below the age of 16 were intercepted by the Immigration officers on Monday at the Isoka check point and were taken to a holding cell pending screening for documentation and Ebola.
The asylum seekers have been identified as Ackson Wamangu, 27, Basel Wamangu, 25, Serge Wamangu 20, Divia Wamangu 13, Grace Wamangu 12 and Jean Wamangu 12 all were on transits to neighboring Zimbabwe.
Immigration Department Public Relations Officer Namati Nshinka said the asylum seekers are believed to have come from Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo and were going to a refugee camp in Zimbabwe to join their older sister.
The asylum seekers have since been transferred to the Chinsali regional office where they were undergoing screening before the United Nations High Commission for Refugee could make a final decision on them.
Several prohibited immigrants enter Zambia through the porous Nakonde border post en-route to South Africa and other countries but are mainly arrested at Isoka. -ZANIS