News / National
Nigerian businessmen face deportation from Zimbabwe
13 Jun 2012 at 00:20hrs | Views
TWO Nigerians who entered the country illegally and established businesses in Karoi before marrying Zimbabwean women, face deportation after being convicted of contravening the Immigration Act.
Karoi magistrate Mr Robson Finsin fined Solomon Ugona Uba (32) of 170 Cresent Lane in Karoi and Emmanuel Sampson Ejike (36) of 749 Chikangwe Township, US$90 or 30 days in jail each for contravening Section 2(1) of the Immigration Act Chapter 4:02, Entry by Evasion.
The two pleaded guilty.
Ugona who also faced a charge of playing pirated movies by Nigerian artists, was fined US$90 or 30 days in jail for the second count.
Prosecutor Mr Simon Tapiwa said the charges against the two arose on June 5 this year when police detectives in Karoi received information that the two were illegal immi­grants.
When police approached Uba at his Angie's Cell Phone Shop at Super Bake Complex, the only form of identity document that he pro­duced was an expired Nigerian passport that showed no date of entry into Zimbabwe.
The passport had no Zimbabwean visa.
Uba was playing pirated movies by Nigerian artistes, resulting in him being charged of contravening a section of the Copyrights and Neighbouring Rights Act.
Later that day, police swooped on Ejike at his Cell Phone and Accessories Shop opposite Mashonaland Investments.
Upon being asked to produce proof of his identity by the police, he handed them an expired and cancelled Nigerian passport with neither a single date stamp nor any proof of his entry into Zimbabwe.
It was later established that the pair had illegally entered Zimbabwe from South Africa through the Beitbridge Border Post last September.
In mitigation, the two implored Mr Finsin to be lenient with them since they were both married to Zimbabweans, with Ejike, who almost shed tears in court, saying his wife was pregnant.
Karoi magistrate Mr Robson Finsin fined Solomon Ugona Uba (32) of 170 Cresent Lane in Karoi and Emmanuel Sampson Ejike (36) of 749 Chikangwe Township, US$90 or 30 days in jail each for contravening Section 2(1) of the Immigration Act Chapter 4:02, Entry by Evasion.
The two pleaded guilty.
Ugona who also faced a charge of playing pirated movies by Nigerian artists, was fined US$90 or 30 days in jail for the second count.
Prosecutor Mr Simon Tapiwa said the charges against the two arose on June 5 this year when police detectives in Karoi received information that the two were illegal immi­grants.
When police approached Uba at his Angie's Cell Phone Shop at Super Bake Complex, the only form of identity document that he pro­duced was an expired Nigerian passport that showed no date of entry into Zimbabwe.
Uba was playing pirated movies by Nigerian artistes, resulting in him being charged of contravening a section of the Copyrights and Neighbouring Rights Act.
Later that day, police swooped on Ejike at his Cell Phone and Accessories Shop opposite Mashonaland Investments.
Upon being asked to produce proof of his identity by the police, he handed them an expired and cancelled Nigerian passport with neither a single date stamp nor any proof of his entry into Zimbabwe.
It was later established that the pair had illegally entered Zimbabwe from South Africa through the Beitbridge Border Post last September.
In mitigation, the two implored Mr Finsin to be lenient with them since they were both married to Zimbabweans, with Ejike, who almost shed tears in court, saying his wife was pregnant.
Source - TH
