Immigration officers in Sierra Leone have started a manhunt for illegal immigrants living in the country

Chief immigration officer Alpha Kolifa Koroma said the illegal immigrants were committing crimes such as drug dealing and people trafficking. Several hundred have been arrested and four deported. It is believed there are tens of thousands of foreigners, mainly from Nigeria, living in Sierra Leone without records. The number of Nigerians has soared dramatically since the mid 1990s because of the presence of Nigerian peacekeepers in Sierra Leone. Nigeria led a West African force that intervened during Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. The Nigerian soldiers later joined the UN peace mission, which withdrew in 2005 - three years after the conflict officially ended. The news of the crackdown has prompted fear among the large Nigerian community - many fearing it may prompt xenophobic attacks.