By Joyce Ekeh & Agency Report
At least 53 Nigerians have been arrested by Malaysian immigration authorities for various immigration offences in a sweeping enforcement operation that saw 112 undocumented African nationals detained between January and October 31, 2026.
The figure places Nigerians at the top of the list of African nationals arrested during the period, accounting for nearly half of all the arrests, according to a report by Malaysian newspaper, Utusan Malaysia.
Ugandans followed with 13 arrests, while 10 Kenyans and eight Ghanaians were also detained.
The Director-General of Malaysia’s Immigration Department, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, disclosed the figures in an interview with the newspaper published on Friday.
Other African nationals arrested included six each from Somalia and Tanzania, four from Senegal, three from Algeria, two each from Burkina Faso, Togo and The Gambia, while one national each from Guinea, Zimbabwe and Libya was also apprehended.
Providing a breakdown of the offences, Shaaban said the most common violation 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 further revealed that 23 other foreigners were arrested for overstaying their authorised period of stay under Section 15(1)(c) of the Act.
Three others were detained for allegedly violating the conditions attached to their immigration passes under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
One Nigerian was also arrested for allegedly possessing forged immigration documents, an offence punishable under Section 56(1)(l) of the Immigration Act.
In a related development, Malaysian authorities arrested an Algerian employer for allegedly employing foreign workers without valid immigration passes, contrary to Section 55B of the Act.
Shaaban said the enforcement operations were aimed at curbing undocumented migration and ensuring that employers who engage or accommodate foreign nationals without proper immigration documentation face the law.
“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 crackdown underscores the scale of immigration violations involving African nationals in Malaysia, with Nigerians accounting for the largest number of arrests recorded during the 10-month period.
However, the report did not disclose the identities of the Nigerians arrested, their specific locations of arrest or whether any of them had been formally charged or deported.
It also did not indicate whether the arrests were linked to coordinated enforcement operations targeting particular communities or workplaces.
