KOTA KINABALU, April 25 — A group of detainees placed at the Manggatal Immigration Detention Depot (DTI) here, this morning rioted, believed to be because they could not return home to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali said the initial investigation found that the incident only happened in a block of the depot and there were no injuries or incidents of detainees fleeing.

"The situation was brought under control after the Light Combat Unit team from the Kota Kinabalu District Police Headquarters was rushed to the scene.

"This is not the first incident because in 2015, two days before Hari Raya, a similar incident happened,” he said when contacted by reporters here today.

He said police were still investigating the incident, including on the detainees involved.

He said the repatriation of immigration detainees to their countries of origin was currently facing constraints due to Covid-19. — Bernama