Banda escaped from custody in August while facing robbery charges. He is said to have escaped through a window at Chipata Central Hospital in Eastern Province where he had been admitted following his arrest and was being guarded by police and prison officers.
A bounty of 2m Zambian kwacha ($72,000; £57,000) was placed on his head after his escape.
Mr Banda has been an MP since 2021 and is close to former President Edgar Lungu, who lost the presidency to Hakainde Hichilema that year. His legal challenges arise from a 2015 robbery charge, a non-bailable offence, along with additional charges for escaping custody.
His supporters however, say the charges against him are frivolous and a means to silence him following the uproar that greeted his controversial abduction earlier this year.
Banda sparked concerns earlier this year when he was reportedly abducted by unknown persons.
He went missing from the capital city Lusaka in the early hours of the morning in unclear circumstances. Authorities say he resurfaced late on Sunday night at a farm in a town some 43km (27 miles) south of Lusaka. At the same period, the house of a fellow lawmaker, Hon. Jean Chisenga was set ablaze.
Both Hon. Chisenga and Hon. Emmanuel JJ Banda then, had raised alarm that they were receiving public threats from the UPND leadership and cadres.
The escape, which took place in August, occurred despite the presence of two Zambia Police officers and three Zambia Correctional Service officers guarding the MP.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Mr. Banda fled through the window of the hospital ward where he was receiving treatment. “He escaped lawful custody using the hospital window; how he managed to do so remains under investigation,” said Zambian Minister for Home Affairs, Mr. Mwiimbu.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the Zambian minister for home affairs said the MP had been arrested earlier this week in Harare.
Jack Mwiimbu stated that the MP was arrested by Zimbabwean police at a flat he had been renting and would remain in custody while extradition formalities were completed. He emphasized the government’s interest in uncovering who facilitated the MP’s escape and his wife’s visits to Harare.
Mwiimbu also expressed gratitude to Zimbabwean authorities for their cooperation.
