Reported By Ariajegbe Esezobor Sylvia
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has moved to clarify the circumstances surrounding the continued detention of a Nigerian citizen at a deportation camp in New Delhi, even as the Nigerian High Commission in India formally requested another six-month amnesty window for undocumented Nigerians willing to return home without paying penalties.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, NiDCOM said Mr Ekene Vitus Chukwuma was arrested in December 2025 for overstaying his visa and had remained in India with a Nigerian passport that expired in 2020. The commission disclosed that Chukwuma had previously been issued an Emergency Travel Certificate by the Nigerian High Commission to facilitate his return during an earlier amnesty period. Rather than use the document, NiDCOM said, Chukwuma informed a consular officer by telephone that he had successfully sent his wife and three children back to Nigeria but stayed behind to do business despite lacking proper documentation. He was subsequently arrested again, and the travel document expired while he was in detention.
The clarification followed a public outcry sparked by journalist Rufai Oseni, co-host of Arise TV, who raised Chukwuma’s case on social media and accused NiDCOM of failing to respond to repeated appeals for assistance. Oseni said he emailed the commission with Chukwuma’s contact details after NiDCOM Chairman Abike Dabiri-Erewa directed him to use official channels, but claimed neither the commission nor the Nigerian mission had reached out. He later said Chukwuma told him more than 200 Nigerians were being held at the Lampur detention centre in New Delhi and described conditions there as harrowing.
NiDCOM’s response, shared by Dabiri-Erewa on X, pushed back against the criticism. The commission said India had introduced a targeted amnesty for undocumented Nigerian migrants beginning May 1, 2025, a six-month programme that was later extended by three months following negotiations by Nigeria’s High Commissioner. More than 4,000 Nigerians returned home under the amnesty without legal or administrative penalties. However, NiDCOM said, some Nigerians did not take advantage of the window and were subsequently arrested and transferred to deportation camps. “Regrettably, Ekene and some others did not take advantage of this programme or its subsequent extension while it was active,” the commission said.
The statement also shed light on the mechanics of deportation in India, explaining that the Foreigners Regional Registration Office is responsible for screening and clearing detainees before removal. Deportations are entirely at the prerogative of the host country, and NiDCOM noted that Indian authorities typically wait until they have a sufficient number of detainees before arranging an airlift, partly to reduce the financial burden on taxpayers. Deportees are expected to bear the cost of their return, while the Nigerian High Commission issues fresh Emergency Travel Certificates after receiving formal deportation requests from Indian authorities.
NiDCOM further disclosed that the High Commission had recently received a report alleging that some detainees were involved in the sale of illegal substances within the deportation camp, and that some detainees had petitioned the Foreigners Regional Registration Office over the matter. The commission said the Nigerian High Commission in India would continue to monitor Chukwuma’s case and the cases of hundreds of other Nigerians awaiting deportation.
The diplomatic push for a fresh amnesty has intensified. NiDCOM said Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, was engaging her Indian counterpart to secure another six-month window for Nigerians detained in camps who had no pending trials but remained in custody over immigration-related offences. The commission clarified that the proposed amnesty would not cover Nigerians awaiting trial for criminal offences, including drug-related crimes. NiDCOM Chairman Abike Dabiri-Erewa urged Nigerians living in India without valid immigration status to take advantage of the next amnesty once implemented, warning that those who continued to remain illegally risked arrest and prosecution.
The consular effort has also extended beyond negotiations. On September 1, 2026, the Nigerian High Commissioner to India, Ambassador Saidu Dahiru Muhammad, led a delegation that visited 198 Nigerian inmates across five prisons in Maharashtra State. NiDCOM said the mission planned further consular visits to other Indian provinces to assess the welfare of Nigerian inmates and report its findings to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The commission said the interventions formed part of efforts to support Nigerians in distress and promote citizen-centred diplomacy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The controversy has exposed the difficult realities of irregular migration and the limits of consular protection. For Nigerians who overstay their visas or lose their documentation, the path to regularisation is narrow, and the consequences of falling through the cracks can be severe. NiDCOM has consistently urged Nigerians abroad to obey the laws of their host countries, but the commission also faces criticism that its responses to individual cases are slow and reactive. Rufai Oseni rejected NiDCOM’s explanation as inadequate, accusing the commission of acting only after public pressure and insisting the immediate priority should be securing the release and return of Chukwuma and others separated from their families in Nigeria.
The proposed amnesty, if granted, would offer a second chance to Nigerians who missed the earlier window. But it would also serve as a reminder that the window is not indefinite. NiDCOM’s message to Nigerians in India is clear: when the next amnesty comes, take it, because the alternative is a detention camp, a long wait and a deportation at your own expense.
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