Congolese, Nigerians Nabbed for Passport Fraud in Lilongwe
Published on October 2, 2025 at 11:30 AM by Edgar Naitha
Police in Lilongwe have arrested a Congolese national and two Nigerians on suspicion of fraudulently entering the country and forging Malawian citizenship certificates, which they intended to use to obtain passports.
According to Lilongwe Police spokesperson Hastings Chigalu, the three suspects, who are based in South Africa, entered Malawi illegally on September 9, 2025. By September 22, they had already obtained forged Malawian citizenship certificates.
Chigalu further revealed that the suspects were also found with documents purportedly signed by Village Headman Mkutu, claiming they were Malawian nationals.
To support their claims, all three individuals allegedly changed their names to sound more Malawian. Steve Tsamala (36), originally from Congo, changed his name to Steve Balaka. Bobby Alex Amaliri (43) from Nigeria became Bobby Alex Mulandire, while John Osita Nwogbo (43), also from Nigeria, shortened his name to John Osita.
“Investigations have shown that the individuals reside in South Africa, Steve works as a pastor, Bobby as an electrician, and John as a vocational training instructor,” said Chigalu. “They sought Malawian citizenship in order to secure better employment opportunities in South Africa.”
Police say they are currently looking for a man known only as Ishmael, who is suspected of facilitating the acquisition of the fake documents.
