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Crime Reporter

TWO illegal immigrants who have been evading deportation for years through threats of violence and supplying authorities with false identity information, have been deported.

The Immigration Department’s spokesperson Mrs Canisia Magaya issued a statement confirming the deportation of the pair.

“On 23 March 2020, Zimbabwe deported Mabu John alias Ibrahim Abdurahaman (38) a South Sudanese national whose deportation had been partly delayed for six years,” she said.

“He joined Vitalis Chukwuatu Chijioke (43) Nigerian national who was part of a group of foreigners found to be illegal immigrants by the courts. Each time deportation processes were instituted, the group would contrive different ways of resisting deportation.

“In addition, the group caused problems in the prison where they were being held and this was previously reported in the local press.”

Mrs Magaya said Vitalis Chukwuatu Chijioke had been defying a court order that directed his deportation for almost three years.

“His deportation was conducted under the escort of the Zimbabwe Immigration Compliance Section Unit and Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services against a previous failed 2018 deportation attempt after he turned violent, refused to board the plane and threatened to cause violence inside the flight prompting officials to remove him from the list of travellers,” she said.

Chijioke was convicted in 2017 on charges of identity fraud and re-entry into Zimbabwe as a prohibited person.

Investigations established that Chijioke entered the country in 2006 as a Ghanaian national under the name Apiah Kingsley which was confirmed to be fraudulent resulting in his conviction.

He was then deported, but sneaked back into the country as a Nigerian under the name Vitalis Chukwuatu and then married a Zimbabwean woman before concealing records of his previous conviction and deportation.

Further Investigations by the Immigration Department also revealed his other convictions relating to assault and domestic violence.

“On the other hand, Mabu John alias Ibrahim Abdurahaman, undocumented and claiming to be a Cameroonian national was arrested at Chirundu Border Post in 2013 for assisting illegal immigrants to enter the country and thereafter conveying them to Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge, meant for refugees and asylum seekers,” said Mrs Magaya.

“He was prosecuted and convicted by the Karoi Magistrates Court on charges of entering and remaining in Zimbabwe without a valid permit on 31 October 2014.”

Mrs Magaya said while his deportation was being processed, he then claimed that his true nationality was that of South Sudan and that his real name was Mabu John.

“This revelation consequently stifled efforts to deport him as Immigration authorities wanted to carry out further investigations to ascertain this development,” she said.

“It was established that Mabu John was actually on refugee status in the country although the status was obtained through misrepresentation.

“He deliberately stalled his deportation by concealing his correct identity since a person deemed prohibited must be deported to a destination legally determined by nationality. Expelling a person to a country where he has no legal claim to residence is against international law.”

Mrs Magaya said they were also in the process and working on modalities of deporting the outstanding ‘rogue members of this group’ which are; Charles Ofoma (Nigerian), Ayele Derillo (Ethiopian), Martin Mwaangi (Kenyan) and El Yusuf Muammar Ghaddafi (Guinea).