Indonesian immigration authorities have deported a Nigerian national for failing to present valid travel and residence documents, officials said.

According to state-owned ANTARA News, the Tanjungpinang Immigration Detention Centre in Riau Islands Province confirmed on Thursday that the Nigerian was deported on Tuesday, August 18, through the immigration checkpoint at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang.

Authorities said the Nigerian violated Article 71(b) of Indonesia’s Immigration Law after he was unable to produce a valid passport or residence permit during an immigration check.

Before the deportation, the individual was held at the Tanjungpinang Immigration Detention Centre, where officials verified his identity and completed the necessary travel documentation.

An official at the detention centre, I Wayan Putu Wiadnya, said the deportation was an administrative immigration measure taken against foreigners who violate Indonesia’s immigration regulations.

“We returned them and ensured the entire process was conducted professionally, orderly, safely and accountably,” Wiadnya said.

The Nigerian was deported alongside a Palestinian national who was found to have overstayed in Indonesia, in violation of Article 78(3) of the country’s Immigration Law.

The Head of the Tanjungpinang Immigration Detention Centre, Erybowo Radyan Asmono, said the deportations formed part of Indonesia’s efforts to enforce immigration laws and regulate the presence of foreign nationals in the country.

He added that while immigration enforcement is necessary to protect national sovereignty, it must be carried out professionally and in line with humanitarian principles.