Bali Immigration Takes Legal Path 8 Nigerian Citizens Without Passport

Head of the Ngurah Immigration Office Rai Suhendra was interviewed by reporters in Jimbaran, Badung Regency, Bali, Monday (22/7/2024) ANTARA/Dewa Ketut Sudiarta Wiguna

JAKARTA The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Badung Regency has taken legal action against eight foreign nationals (WNA) from Nigeria who cannot show passports when caught in immigration surveillance.

"They entered Indonesia using documents, but after Bali they deliberately lost the documents so they could not be identified when they entered Indonesia," said Head of the Ngurah Immigration Office, Rai Suhendra, Monday, Jli 22.

One of the eight Nigerian foreigners has received a court decision with permanent legal force, namely a fine of Rp. 20 million, subsidiary to imprisonment for two months to the convict with the initials EOF on Tuesday (9/7).

Meanwhile, seven other Nigerian foreigners are waiting for trial at the Denpasar District Court after the case files have been transferred to the Badung District Attorney's Office, which is currently still languishing in the Ngurah Rai Immigration Detention Room in Jimbaran, Badung Regency.

Previously, they were caught in an immigration operation on May 28, 2024 at a villa in the Kuta area, Badung Regency, Bali.

Initially, the Intelligence and Immigration Enforcement Officer (Inteljakim) of Immigration Ngurah Rai arrested three Nigerian foreigners.

From the results of the examination, officers then carried out developments and arrested 21 foreigners, namely 19 from Nigeria, and one person each from Ghana and Tanzania so that a total of 24 foreigners from the African continent. They are known to enter Indonesia through Soekarno Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, using a visit visa, some of which have exceeded the stay permit for months.

Of the 24 foreigners, seven of them have been deported back to their country, nine others have been temporarily detained at the Denpasar Immigration Detention Center (Rudenim) in Badung Regency awaiting deportation and eight others are undergoing promotion with one of them having the initials EOF being convicted.

In Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration, Article 71 Letter b states that every foreigner in Indonesia must show and submit travel documents or residence permits to officers during immigration supervision.

There are also criminal rules regulated in Article 116, namely foreigners who cannot perform the obligation to show documents, so they are threatened with imprisonment for three months and a maximum fine of Rp. 25 million.

The supervision of foreigners is due to public complaints made through the Ngurah Rai Immigration social media channel.

Apart from social media, public reports regarding the whereabouts of suspicious foreigners can also be submitted via an official WhatsApp application-based message for Immigration Ngurah Rai at number 081236956667.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Bali Ngurah Rai Immigration Office during January-June 2024, 66 foreigners were deported, then 89 people were detention and 52 people were deterrence.