NiDCOM Speaks on Over 200 Nigerians Detained in India
- NiDCOM said India offered a six-month amnesty from May 2025 that over 4,000 Nigerians used to return home without penalties
- Journalist Rufai Oseni accused NiDCOM and Abike Dabiri-Erewa of failing to contact detained Nigerian Ekene despite receiving his details
- NiDCOM confirmed Ekene and others who declined the amnesty were later arrested and are now held at the Lampur detention centre in New Delhi
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering migration issues and international affairs.
New Delhi, India - The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has pushed back against criticism over its response to reports of more than 200 Nigerians held at the Lampur detention centre in New Delhi, India.
Legit.ng reports that the commission explained that those now detained had previously declined a government amnesty that allowed thousands of others to return home freely.
Source: Twitter
The commission's defence came after Rufai Oseni, co-host of Arise TV, publicly accused NiDCOM and its chairperson, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, of inaction. Oseni stated that he had raised the case of a detainee identified as Ekene weeks earlier and, about a week before the commission's response, emailed NiDCOM with the man's contact details after Dabiri-Erewa directed him to use official channels.
Despite an initial acknowledgement, Oseni said neither NiDCOM nor the Nigerian mission in India had followed up directly with Ekene.
"I spoke to Ekene this evening and he confirmed no one reached out," Oseni posted on his X handle on Saturday, September 12.
"I have sent Abike Dabiri and NIDCOM the details of Ekene… they haven't reached out to him! Nigerians, let's beg her to help this man!"
Read Oseni's tweet on the situation of the Nigerian in India below via X:
Oseni also said Ekene described conditions at the Sewa Sadan facility in New Delhi as "harrowing" and that more than 200 Nigerians remained stranded there.
NiDCOM explains amnesty programme
In an official email reply shared by Dabiri-Erewa on X on Sunday morning, September 13, 2026, NiDCOM said the Indian government had launched a targeted amnesty for undocumented Nigerian migrants beginning May 1, 2025. The programme ran for six months and was later extended by three months after Nigeria's High Commissioner negotiated with Indian authorities.
More than 4,000 Nigerians returned home during that window without facing legal or administrative penalties. Those who refused to leave during the amnesty were subsequently rounded up and placed in deportation camps.
NiDCOM wrote:
"Regrettably, Ekene and some others did not take advantage of this program or its subsequent extension while it was active and because he did not regularise his status or exit during the grace period, he was arrested and is currently being held in a deportation camp.
"Please note that he is not the only one awaiting deportation."
Furthermore, the commission noted that deportation decisions rest entirely with India and that the Nigerian High Commission was still pressing Indian authorities for a fresh amnesty extension.
NiDCOM's legal team, it added, would continue to monitor the situation.
Read NiDCOM boss Dabiri-Erewa’s full statement on the Indian issue below via X:
Oseni rejects NiDCOM's position
Oseni dismissed the email as a "glomar" reply issued only after public pressure forced the commission to respond. He argued that the focus must stay on securing Ekene's return, noting the detained man is separated from his wife and children in Nigeria.
The exchange has split opinion online. Some users criticised NiDCOM for what they called slow handling of individual cases, while others argued that migrants who turned down a formal amnesty must accept the legal consequences under the laws of the country hosting them.
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Dabiri reacts to VDM’s 1-week ultimatum
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Dabiri-Erewa described the call by VeryDarkMan to rescue children allegedly trafficked to Ivory Coast as "misinformed and ignorant".
Abike-Dabiri expressed optimism that the relevant agency would handle the matter "appropriately".
Source: Legit.ng
