The Federal Government, through the Nigerian High Commission in India, is intensifying efforts to address the cases of Nigerians detained in various prisons and detention facilities across the country, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has said.
NiDCOM disclosed that officials of the Nigerian High Commission had, as of September 1, visited 198 Nigerian inmates across five prisons in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, while more Nigerians remain incarcerated in prisons in other Indian provinces.
The Commission said the prison visits formed part of ongoing consular interventions by the Nigerian mission to protect the welfare of Nigerians in detention and assist in resolving cases involving immigration violations and other offences.
NiDCOM further disclosed that between September 2025 and May 2026, the Nigerian High Commission secured an amnesty arrangement for thousands of Nigerians detained in India, mainly over immigration offences and other irregularities.
According to the Commission, many of those who benefited from the amnesty were released and returned to Nigeria, although some Nigerians failed to take advantage of the opportunity while it was available.
NiDCOM said Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu had also been engaging her Indian counterpart on another six-month amnesty for Nigerians who have not been tried but remain in detention camps over immigration-related issues and other irregularities.
The proposed arrangement is expected to provide another opportunity for eligible Nigerians without pending criminal trials to regularise their status and return home, subject to the procedures agreed by both countries.
On the case of a Nigerian identified as Mr Ekene, which has recently attracted public attention, NiDCOM said the Nigerian High Commission in India would review his circumstances and determine whether he falls within the category of persons eligible for release.
The Commission explained that if Ekene is found eligible to leave India, efforts would be made to facilitate his return, provided his family can raise the funds required, stressing that the necessary legal and administrative procedures must be followed.
“The Nigerian High Commission is on his case and that of others in similar circumstances and has also been putting pressure on the Indian government to speed up cases of those awaiting trials for various offences,” NiDCOM said.
Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, urged Nigerians living irregularly in India to take advantage of the next amnesty arrangement once it is concluded and implemented.
She warned that Nigerians who continue to stay in India without valid immigration status risk arrest by the authorities.
“Nigerians in India, who are in India irregularly should take advantage of the next set of amnesty being negotiated when effected, while others who are still staying there illegally should utilise the opportunity or risk being arrested,” Dabiri-Erewa advised.
NiDCOM, however, clarified that the amnesty would not cover Nigerians awaiting trial for criminal offences, including drug-related cases.
The Commission therefore appealed to Nigerians living abroad to obey the laws of their host countries and avoid activities that could result in arrest, prosecution or detention.
It reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting the interests and welfare of Nigerians abroad while continuing diplomatic engagements with the Indian authorities on the cases of Nigerians in detention.
