53 Nigerians Arrested in Malaysia Over Immigration Offences in 10 Months
At least 53 Nigerians were arrested by Malaysian immigration authorities between January and October 2026 over various immigration offences, making them the largest group among 112 undocumented African nationals detained during the period.
The figures were disclosed by Malaysia’s Immigration Department Director-General, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, during an interview with Malaysian newspaper Utusan Malaysia published on Friday, November 13.
Ugandan nationals recorded the second-highest number of arrests with 13, followed by Kenyans with 10 and Ghanaians with eight.
Other nationalities represented in the figures included Somalia and Tanzania, with six arrests each; Senegal, four; Algeria, three; Burkina Faso, Togo and The Gambia, with two each.
Guinea, Zimbabwe and Libya recorded one arrest each.
According to Shaaban, the most common immigration offence involved 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 Nigerian nationals.
Another 23 individuals were arrested for overstaying their permitted period under Section 15(1)(c) of the same legislation, while three others were detained for violating the conditions attached to their immigration passes.
The immigration chief also disclosed that a Nigerian national was arrested over alleged possession of forged documents under Section 56(1)(l) of the Act.
In a related enforcement development, Malaysian authorities arrested an Algerian employer under Section 55B for allegedly employing foreign workers without valid immigration passes.
Shaaban said the enforcement operations were part of the country’s efforts to tackle undocumented migration and take action against employers found to be employing or accommodating foreign nationals without the required immigration documentation.
The latest figures highlight the scale of immigration enforcement involving African nationals in Malaysia, with Nigerians accounting for nearly half of the 112 arrests recorded between January and October.
However, the report did not disclose the identities of the Nigerians arrested, the specific locations of their arrests or the individual outcomes of their cases.
