Nigerian student found sleeping in an abandon building arrested for living illegally in north Cyprus

A Nigerian woman who was found sleeping in an abandoned house in Gönyeli, has been attested and detained by Turkish Cypriot police for residing illegally in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) for over four years.

The woman identified only as NDN, a Nigerian student in north Cyprus was brought before a court in Lefkosa on Saturday.

Police in court testimony stated that NDN was discovered at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday December, 27, 2025 during an inspection carried out by teams from the Lefkosia Police Directorate. 

Officers found the suspect asleep in an upstairs bedroom of an abandoned house on Ulus Street in Gönyeli, which was unsecured with its doors and windows left open.

An immigration check conducted using the suspect’s passport revealed that she had been living in the country without permission since 29 November 2021, amounting to a total of 1,489 days of illegal residence. She was arrested at the scene and subsequently brought before the court.

Police told the court that the investigation is at an early stage and that inquiries will be carried out to determine whether the suspect was involved in any criminal activity during the period he remained in the country illegally. 

Authorities also stated that additional time is required to complete deportation procedures, requesting that the suspect be held in police custody for an initial period of three days.

After evaluating the testimony, the judge ruled that should remain in police custody for three days to ensure the proper and orderly continuation of the investigation.