A seven-year-old boy who was abducted by a farm worker demanding unpaid wages has been safely reunited with his family following a cross-border operation between Zambian and Malawian police.
Lenard Phiri, a juvenile of Chanyalumbwe area in Ackim Village, Chief Zumwanda, Lumezi District was snatched on the morning of 19th May, 2026 by Yohane Nkhoma, a 27-year-old Malawian national employed by the boy’s father.
Eastern Province Police Commanding Officer Robertson Mweemba has confirmed to Diamond News that the abduction was reported at Lumezi Police Post by Webson Phiri, 45, the distraught father, who told officers his son had been taken as retaliation for non-payment of Nkhoma’s salary as a farm worker.
Zambian authorities working closely with their Malawian counterparts launched investigations which traced the suspect to a rural locality called Malingunde, approximately 30 kilometres from Lilongwe.
Acting on the breakthrough, police officers from Lundazi Police Station travelled to Malawi, where a joint operation was conducted in the Malingunde area on 24th May.
The raid resulted in the apprehension of the suspect and the safe recovery of young Lenard, who had been separated from his parents for five agonising days.
The child was handed over to the Lundazi officers, who were accompanied by the boy’s father, Webson Phiri on the mission. Lenard has since been returned home and reunited with his family.
The suspect, Nkhoma, remains in Malawian custody as he was not surrendered to Zambian authorities.
By Samuel Khwawe
