In Tanzania, sixteen Ethiopian illegal immigrants were taken into custody

Iringa: The police force in Iringa region has succeeded in arresting 16 illegal immigrants citizens of Ethiopia for the crime of entering the country without a permit.

Speaking to the media in Mafinga today April 8, 2024, the police commander in Iringa region here, Allan Bukumbi said that the army in collaboration with the Immigration Force in the region have succeeded in arresting the 16 Ethiopian immigrants in the Luganga forest area, ward of Sao Hill, Mufindi district.

According to Commander Bukumbi, the illegal immigrants were taken into custody while left unaccompanied in a corn field. Earlier, they had been dropped off in a white Land Cruiser V8 with the registration number STL 3999; the driver had abandoned the vehicle when he realized the police were pursuing him.

“After the driver saw that he was being followed by the police, he saw that he would not be able to cross the main road, so he took another route and arrived at a place where he met a ticket (swap), which made them unable to continue the journey, then he dropped off the immigrants and closed it and disappeared from sight,” stated RPC Bukumbi.

He continued by outlining the numerous searches that are still being conducted to locate the driver and the owner of the vehicle, adding that the preliminary inquiry had shown that the vehicle is registered under the license plate T803 CVW and is owned by Saidi Hassan, a resident of Tabata, Dar es Salaam.

Peter Kimario, the Iringa region’s immigration officer, stated that the illicit human trafficking is detrimental to the country since it jeopardizes national security.

“Through the media, I am calling on Tanzanians to help us in our campaign that has been launched throughout the country called ‘Know Your Neighbors’ because we have been caught in such vehicles, so we believe they can use methods to dress well like Tanzanians and travel in transport vehicles ordinary people without knowing them,” Kimario said. Kimario clarified that everyone is concerned about the security of the nation, which is why the Know Your Neighbor campaign was launched to learn more about people’s daily life.
He has, however, underlined that the Immigration Service would keep working with other organizations to make sure the immigrants are delivered to the appropriate organizations and that appropriate action is taken.