Five accused of possessing 528kg of Ivory granted bail

Five men alleged to be Congolese nationals have been granted bail after appearing in court for illegal possession of ivory weighing over 528 kilogrammes.

The accused — Luhale Alumba, 57; Osemo Wembo Luhale, 27; Allan Ngwangwa, 26; Peter Kainga Mukanga, 38; and Watson Zyoya — appeared before Magistrate Kawama Mwamfuli and pleaded not guilty to a charge of unlawful possession of a prescribed trophy, contrary to Section 130(1) of the Zambia Wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015, read with Statutory Instrument No. 1 of 2016.

According to the charge sheet, the offence occurred between April 12 and 13, 2025, in Lusaka.

The five, acting with unknown accomplices, were allegedly found in possession of 69 pieces of ivory weighing 528.8 kilogrammes without a license or certificate issued by the Director of National Parks and Wildlife.

During the proceedings, defence lawyer Osborne Ngoma applied for bail under Section 123 of the Criminal Procedure Code, arguing that the offence was bailable and that the accused were ready to abide by any conditions imposed by the court.

Ngoma informed the court that four of the accused were Zambian, while Alumba, though Congolese, had resided in Zambia for over 50 years, held a resident permit, and had family and investments in the country.

However, the State objected to the bail application for the first three accused, citing concerns that they were foreign nationals and posed a flight risk.

The prosecution requested stringent bail conditions if bail was granted.

In rebuttal, Ngoma said there was no proof that the accused were foreign nationals and argued that nationality alone should not preclude bail, especially given the accused’s cooperation with law enforcement.

After hearing both sides, Magistrate Mwamfuli granted each accused person bail of K60,000 in their own recognition and required two working sureties residing in Lusaka.

Alumba was ordered to surrender his passport, while Luhale and Ngwangwa were required to present their Zambian National Registration Cards.

The accused will remain in custody until all bail conditions are fulfilled. The case has been adjourned to May 19, 2025, for commencement of trial.

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