By the time Ethiopian immigrant Habtamu Tamirat Suganomo’s lifeless body arrived at Mzimba District Hospital, the web of corruption that killed him had already begun to unravel.
The 23-year-old’s death would expose an unholy alliance between law enforcement and criminals in a sleepy Malawian town, leaving a community’s trust shattered and a family thousands of miles away searching for answers.
“We used to see the police as our guardians,” says Martha Nyirenda, a longtime resident of Nkhamenya, her voice trembling with disappointment.
“Now we wonder if they’re guarding us or their own interests.”
Nkhamenya, a transit hub along Malawi’s M1 highway connecting Tanzania and Mozambique, has long grappled with human trafficking.
Local NGOs estimate that hundreds of East African migrants pass through the region monthly, seeking better opportunities in Southern Africa.
But until now, few suspected that those sworn to combat this illegal trade were profiting from it.
The events that led to Suganomo’s death on that fateful night along Chisinga Road read like a crime thriller, but for the residents of this small town in Mzimba District, they represent a horrifying reality.
Two senior Police Officers, whose names are being withheld pending investigation, allegedly conspired with a local criminal operator in what appears to be an elaborate human trafficking scheme gone wrong.
The plot began to unfold when a white Nissan truck, driven by a notorious local dealer with a history of smuggling charges dating back to 2019, became the centrepiece of what witnesses describe as a choreographed chase.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that the dealer, known for his criminal enterprises, had orchestrated the entire operation with the complicit officers.
“The chase was nothing but theatre,” says a local businessman who witnessed the events but requested anonymity for fear of retribution.
“When the police vehicle ran low on fuel, we watched in disbelief as the same dealer they were supposedly chasing stopped to buy them fuel.”
The deadly charade reached its climax when the vehicle carrying the immigrants crashed.
By the time additional police units arrived at the scene, it had been mysteriously cleared of all occupants except for the grievously injured Suganomo.
Instead of rushing him to the nearby Nkhamenya Mission Hospital, just five minutes away, the officers made an inexplicable 40-minute detour to a facility in Jenda – a decision that likely sealed Suganomo’s fate.
Dr. Prince Chirwa of Mzimba District Hospital confirmed what many had feared: Suganomo, identified by his passport number EP8316402, was pronounced dead on arrival.
His last moments were spent in the back of a police vehicle, far from his home in Soro, Hosana district of Ethiopia, where his family still awaits answers.
The case has exposed deep-rooted corruption within local law enforcement, a problem that anti-trafficking activists say has been festering for years.
According to police records, this is the third suspicious incident involving law enforcement and human trafficking in the northern region this year alone, though previous cases were quietly buried in bureaucratic paperwork.
When questioned about the incident, Jenda Police Command Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) Mangadzi’s response raised more red flags.
“I was completely unaware of the situation until the officers involved reported it,” he stated, highlighting a troubling breakdown in police command structure and oversight.
While Kasungu police spokesperson Joseph Kachikho confirmed basic details about the crash involving the Toyota dyn lorry (registration number DA11308), the broader implications of this case continue to reverberate through the community.
Local religious leaders have called for an independent investigation, citing a pattern of similar incidents that have gone uninvestigated.
For the residents of Nkhamenya, the death of Habtamu Tamirat Suganomo represents more than just a tragic loss of life – it marks the death of their innocence about the very institutions meant to protect them.
As investigations continue, one question haunts this small town In a system where protectors become predators, who can the people trust?
