By Biodun Busari

Hundreds of people attended a memorial service of a Zambian student, Lemekani Nyirenda who died fighting for Russia in Ukraine in September 2022.

Nyirenda, a Tanzanian was laid to rest in Lusaka, the Zambian capital on Tuesday at a Baptist church.

MSN said the 23-year-old was a regular worshipper of the church that buried him yesterday before he traveled to Russia to study nuclear engineering.

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Family members broke down as they filed past Nyirenda’s coffin.

Hundreds of people attended a memorial service of a Zambian student, Lemekani Nyirenda who died fighting for Russia in Ukraine in September 2022.

His death in September sparked a diplomatic row, with Zambia demanding an urgent explanation from the Kremlin.

Tanzania on Tuesday meanwhile confirmed that Nemes Tarimo, another student, had been killed after also being recruited in jail by Wagner.

“When Tarimo was serving jail, he was given an opportunity to join the Russian army group called Wagner for payment and the promise that he would be freed after the war,” Tanzanian Foreign Minister Stergomena Tax said.

“Tarimo agreed and he was taken to Ukraine where he was killed on October 24.”

Tarimo, who had been studying in Russia since 2020, was arrested in March 2022 and sentenced to a seven-year jail term for undisclosed reasons.

“It’s illegal for a Tanzanian national to join any foreign army,” added the foreign minister.

On Tuesday, Nyirenda’s father Edwin paid tribute to his son, saying he was a hard worker who helped set up a beehive business for the family.