Malaysia Arrests 53 Nigerians for Staying Without Proper Documents

(Nigerians Arrested. Image Credit: BBC News)

From January to October 31, immigration officers in Malaysia arrested 112 Africans who did not have legal papers to be in the country.

At least 53 Nigeria have been arrested.

A report by Utusan Malaysia says Nigerians made up the largest group.

Uganda followed with 13 arrests, Kenya with 10 and Ghana with eight.

Malaysia's Immigration Director General, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, gave the figures in an interview with the paper, which was shared on Friday.

The most common offence was staying in Malaysia without a valid pass or permit.

That accounted for 85 arrests overall, 47 of them Nigerians.

Another 23 people were held for overstaying, and three others for breaking the conditions of their passes.

One Nigerian was arrested for allegedly having forged documents.

Authorities also arrested an Algerian employer for hiring foreign workers without valid passes.

Shaaban said the operations are meant to crack down on undocumented migrants and on employers who hire or house them without proper papers.

The report did not name the Nigerians arrested or say where they were picked up.