Malaysia Arrests 53 Nigerians in Crackdown on Undocumented Migrants

No fewer than 53 Nigerians were arrested among 112 undocumented African nationals apprehended by Malaysian immigration authorities during enforcement operations between January and October 31.

The Nigerians accounted for the highest number of arrests, followed by 13 Ugandans, 10 Kenyans and eight Ghanaians, according to a report by Malaysian newspaper, Utusan Malaysia.

The Director-General of Malaysia’s Immigration Department, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, disclosed the figures in an interview with the newspaper published on Friday, saying the arrests were made during enforcement operations across the country.

Other African nationals arrested included six Somalis, six Tanzanians, four Senegalese, three Algerians, two Burkinabes, two Togolese and two Gambians. One person each from Guinea, Zimbabwe and Libya was also apprehended.

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.

He disclosed that 85 people were arrested for the offence, including 47 Nigerians.

“The primary offence recorded is entering and remaining in the country without a valid pass or permit, under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63; this resulted in 85 arrests, 47 of which involved Nigerian nationals,” he said.

The immigration chief added that 23 people were detained for overstaying their permitted period under Section 15(1)(c) of the same Act.

Another three people were arrested for violating 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 under Section 56(1)(l) of the Immigration Act.

In a separate operation, the authorities arrested an Algerian employer under Section 55B of the Act for allegedly employing foreign workers without valid immigration passes.

Shaaban said the enforcement operations demonstrated Malaysia’s commitment to tackling undocumented migration and taking action against employers who hire or accommodate foreign nationals without proper immigration documents.

“These ongoing enforcement operations reflect the authorities’ steadfast commitment to curbing the presence of undocumented migrants and taking firm action against any employers who harbor or employ them,” he said.

The report did not disclose the identities of the Nigerians arrested or the specific locations where they were apprehended.

The arrests come days after PUNCH Online reported that three Nigerians were arrested in Delhi, India, for allegedly staying in the country without valid immigration documents.

The men were apprehended during an immigration verification exercise in southwest Delhi on October 31 and subsequently transferred to a detention centre.

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