KOTA KINABALU 1 April 2026 (The Capital Post) – Four young students without recognised citizenship were brought before a Sessions Court on Tuesday to answer charges of entering Sabah unlawfully after being stopped in a recent enforcement operation, legal representatives and court officials said.
The accused – Mohd Mansul Ajjili, Jolina Julkipli, Jay Jeriko Omar and Mohd Haykal Nukiman Zulkifli, aged between 20 and 22 and believed to be of Palauh or sea‑nomad heritage from Semporna, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read out before Judge Hurman Hussain.
All four are enrolled at an alternative learning centre in the state and were released on police bail following their detention for failing to present valid identification documents, though they were required to appear in court to face the offence.
During proceedings, counsel for the defence submitted statutory declarations suggesting that three of the accused were born in Sabah and that two have Malaysian mothers, arguing that immigration law should not be used to prosecute stateless individuals who cannot produce formal documentation.
The judge granted Jolina, Jay and Haykal bail of RM2,000 each with a local surety, stipulating that their sureties be immediate family or individuals who have formally declared they were born in Sabah, and ordered them to report monthly to the Semporna police station.
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Mansul, however, remained in custody as he has yet to submit evidence to support his claim of being Sabahan, with the court neither granting nor denying bail at this stage to allow time for further documentation.
Counsel also noted that DNA testing may be necessary to verify familial links relevant to the defendants’ claims, while the prosecution maintained opposition to bail on the basis that none of the accused held proper immigration papers.
The court scheduled the pre‑trial case management for April 30, where judges will assess the evidence and legal arguments before the substantive trial develops further.-The Capital Post
