Zambia has deported 144 illegal immigrants for being in the country without valid documents, an immigration spokesperson said on Friday.
Namati Nshinka, Immigration Department Spokesperson said the deportation occurred between Aug. 10 and Aug. 19.
Among those deported were 120 Ethiopians, seven Burundians, seven Tanzanians, three Congolese, two Kenyans, and two Malawians as well as one Ghanaian, Peruvian and Rwandese respectively.
He further said in a statement that the department also received 12 Zambians who were removed from other countries for various offenses during the same period.
Meanwhile, the department convicted four foreign soccer players for engaging in employment without permits.
The immigration spokesperson said the four professional soccer players were apprehended on July 10 for plying their trade for a lower division soccer team in the northern part of the country without employment permits.
The four foreign players have since been deported after being convicted and paying fines.
The Immigration Department has since urged football clubs to liaise with the department before engaging professional foreign players. Enditem
