Thousands of refugees, including Nigerians, have been languishing in detention centers across Indonesia for years while awaiting resettlement and their future remaining unclear.
In early 2020, a group of Nigerian immigrants were arrested for entering Indonesia without valid documents. Many had traveled to Indonesia as a stepping stone, hoping to eventually reach Australia by boat.
At the Tanjungpinang Central Immigration Detention Center on Bintan Island, Nigerian detainees can be seen standing inside their cell. Officers are also photographed checking the health condition of a Nigerian detainee at the same facility.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Indonesia, the country hosts more than 12,000 individuals from 40 different countries, most of them from Afghanistan, who are listed as refugees under Indonesian law.
The prolonged detention of these refugees, including the Nigerians, highlights the plight of those who have fled their home countries in search of a better life, only to face uncertainty and confinement in Indonesia’s detention centers.
