Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya’s boyfriend Mark Ode Mubalama this morning returned to the immigration offices in Lusaka in the company of his late mother’s sister to prove that he is Zambian.

Mubalama has been defending his Zambian citizenship since his relationship with the Agriculture Minister became known to the public early this year.

Upon returning from the United States of America where he went on vacation with the Minister, immigration officers arrested and detained him at Lusaka Central Prisons on grounds that he obtained his Zambian passport using false information.

In March, immigration officers stopped Mubalama at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport from traveling with Siliya to Angola and the incident raised questions as it happened when President Lungu was also at the airport.

This morning, Mubalama’s aunts Maureen and Mable who arrived from the United States and Mali accompanied him to immigration to help him defend his citizenship.

“We are here to give our statements to the immigration department. I hope that this matter has been resolved now because they (authorities) have been waiting for our statements, so we had to travel and be part of the record for future reference,” Maureen told News Diggers! in an interview.

“I can say Mark is a strong man to stand this kind of pressure. He has been through it all and he has managed to endure with the support from his family. We know who he is and that is that he is a Zambian, no doubt about it.”