Immigration police in Nong Khai have arrested a 29-year-old Nigerian man accused of entering and remaining in Thailand without permission, after he was reportedly found waiting for transport near the Lao border. Mr Chidera Anthony Ejiogu was detained on 27 August after residents reported seeing a foreign man walking in Soi Ruenrom 3, Pho Chai subdistrict, in Nong Khai's Muang district. Police said checks found no record of his entry into Thailand. He was taken to Nong Khai Immigration for questioning before being handed to investigators at Muang Nong Khai Police Station for legal proceedings. Alleged plan to cross into Laos According to immigration police, Mr Ejiogu said he had entered Thailand illegally around two months earlier and had then stayed with his Thai girlfriend, identified as Yuwadee, in Bangkok. He told officers that he later contacted a male friend in Laos, identified as Akezey N., through WhatsApp. Mr Ejiogu allegedly paid 30,000 baht by transfer to a Siam Commercial Bank account for help arranging an illegal crossing into Laos. His Lao contact allegedly arranged for a Thai man to collect him outside his accommodation in Soi Nawamin 36. The man drove him to a hotel in Nong Khai, where he was told to wait for someone to take him across the border, police said. However, officers located and detained him before the alleged onward journey could take place. Charge filed after immigration check The operation was led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Theeyaphat Rangsiphramanakul, deputy superintendent of Nong Khai Immigration, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Apichat Koltha, an inspector with the unit, along with other officials. Mr Ejiogu has been charged with being a foreign national who entered and stayed in the Kingdom without permission. He has been sent to investigators at Muang Nong Khai Police Station for further action under the law. Pictures courtesy of SiamRath Join the discussion? 28 August 2026
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