Home Affairs Minister, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba
THE government yesterday linked the ongoing human trafficking through the country to the spate of bodies being found along the country’s shores.
Into the scenario is factored the three
unidentified bodies that were found at the famous Coco Beach on the
Indian Ocean stretch of Kinondoni Municipality in Dar es Salaam. Traders
and fishermen operating at the beach were reported as disclosing that
they had recovered 17 bodies over the last two weeks.
They have consequently become panicky,
wondering who were dumping the bodies. One of the traders told a local
broadcasting station on Wednesday that the faces of most of the bodies
were wrapped up in plastic bags.
Commenting on the issue during an
interview with a local television station yesterday, the Home Affairs
Minister, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba, said preliminary investigations pointed to
the illegal transportation of illegal immigrants.
“The emerging picture sketched by our
investigations is that the dumping of bodies was perpetrated by wicked
people engaged in illegal human transportation,” he said.
He explained: “The illegal immigrants,
who include Ethiopians, Somalis and other nationals, are transported
like goods… they are squeezed in lorry trailers, as a conse quence of
which some suffocate and die.”
Since they transport them illegally,
they tend to dump them after dying and proceed with their journeys, he
explained further. He also touched on an incident that the police came
across, related to the dumping of 80 illegal, critically illegal
immigrants at the Tanga-Bagamoyo border.
All of them were unconscious and could
not even speak, forcing the police to give them first aid to stabilize
their condition, he narrated. “Last week, we seized a truck carrying
immigrants.
This has therefore turned out to be a
weekly trend,” the minister said, adding that two men whose hands and
legs had been tied up were found dead in a guest house in Tanga Region.
Mr Nchemba said the incident was still
under investigation, pointing out that it wasn’t very easy to tell,
immediately, what the causes of such incidents were. “The drive against
crime is sustainable,” he emphasized, noting that the police force had
beefed up security through increasing the number of officers and
enhancing patrols.
Meanwhile, police have so far collected
some of details that would lead to concluding investigations into the
shooting of Singida East MP Tundu Lissu (CHADEMA), the minister
revealed. He added that investigations were ongoing and would end upon
arresting all those who were involved in the attempt to assassinate the
Opposition chief whip in designated capital of Dodoma over three weeks
ago.
Mr Lissu is admitted to Nairobi Hospital
after the assailants hit him with five out of 32 bullets sprayed on his
vehicle outside his house, surviving injuries on his stomach and limbs.
“We have got information linked to the attack; I believe that we will
reach a good stage,” Mr Nchemba gave an assurance during the television
interview.
He declined to mention whether anyone
had been apprehended in connection with the attack, only saying that at
least 10 vehicles resembling the one used by attackers were still under
police custody.
“We can tell the number of those
arrested but it’s too early, let’s wait until the investigation is
completed; for instance, we said we have detained cars, they had people
in them… so it’s because of the sensitivity of the matter that we can’t
make disclosures,” he said.
He further explained that some information was only intended for investigation purposes and was not supposed to be publicized.
Mr Mwigulu also indicated that Mr Lissu
was himself a key person in the investigation process, noting that the
police were waiting for him to recover so that he could provide his side
of the story, as well as his driver, who is still undergoing
psychological treatment in Nairobi.
“The police and we in the ministry
believe that the driver has vital information that would be helpful to
the ongoing investigation,” he added.
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