Two refugees whose shipping containers were confiscated by police during the 2023 refugee relocation exercise have today walked out of the National Police Headquarters in Lilongwe smiling, after successfully reclaiming their property following a court order.

The two, Tayub Garffar Jusab and Jean Claude Mbarubukeye, collected a combined five containers after the court ordered their release. They had sought legal intervention following a recent police search which found no weapons, contrary to the government’s earlier suspicion that some containers posed a security threat.

Mbarubukeye, who has reclaimed four containers, expressed satisfaction with the development, describing it as justice served.
However, after inspection, he discovered rotten maize and soya in one of the containers and said he would consult his lawyer, Felisah Mtambo, on the next steps.

“We have seen the condition of the goods in the containers. I will engage my lawyer on the next move,” he said.

Inua Advocacy Communication Officer Brenda Buliyani has since encouraged other refugees whose containers were seized to come forward and reclaim their property through proper legal channels.

“We need those who have not yet claimed their containers to come out and use the proper channels to reclaim their goods,” said Buliyani.

National Police Service spokesperson Peter Kalaya confirmed that out of the 125 containers confiscated in 2023, at least 14 have so far been released following court orders.

He added that 53 containers have pending interest from owners, while 72 remain unclaimed.

“We are going to engage the Ministry of Homeland Security on what to do with the unclaimed containers,” said Kalaya.

During the 2023 relocation exercise, the government argued that some refugees posed a national security threat—leading to the seizure of several containers, among other measures.