Nigerians accounted for almost half of the undocumented African nationals arrested in Malaysia between January and October 31, with 47 of the 53 Nigerians detained accused of entering or remaining in the country without valid immigration permits.
A report by Malaysian newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, said 112 undocumented African nationals were arrested during immigration enforcement operations across the country within the period.
The figures, disclosed by Malaysia’s Immigration Department Director-General, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, placed Nigerians at the top of the list, ahead of Ugandans, who recorded 13 arrests, Kenyans with 10 and Ghanaians with eight.
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Other nationals arrested included six each from Somalia and Tanzania, four from Senegal, three from Algeria, and two each from Burkina Faso, Togo and The Gambia. Guinea, Zimbabwe and Libya recorded one arrest each.
Shaaban said the most common offence was entering or remaining in Malaysia without a valid pass or permit, contrary to Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The offence accounted for 85 arrests, including 47 Nigerians.
“The primary offence recorded is entering and remaining in the country without a valid pass or permit,” he said.
The immigration chief added that 23 people were arrested for overstaying their authorised period under Section 15(1)(c) of the same law.
Three others were detained for breaching the conditions of their immigration passes under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
One Nigerian was also arrested for allegedly possessing forged documents, an offence under Section 56(1)(l) of the Immigration Act.
The authorities also arrested an Algerian employer for allegedly employing foreign workers without valid immigration passes, contrary to Section 55B of the Act.
Shaaban said the operations were part of efforts to tackle undocumented migration and hold employers accountable for employing or accommodating foreigners without proper immigration documents.
“These ongoing enforcement operations reflect the authorities’ steadfast commitment to curbing the presence of undocumented migrants,” he said.
The report did not disclose the identities of the Nigerians arrested or the locations where they were apprehended.
The arrests come days after reports that three Nigerians were detained in Delhi, India, over alleged immigration violations.
The men were arrested during an immigration verification exercise in south-west Delhi on October 31 and subsequently transferred to a detention centre.
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