NIDCOM explains Ekene Chukwuma’s detention in India, urges Nigerians to obey host laws

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has clarified the detention of Ekene Vitus Chukwuma, a Nigerian currently held at Lampur Detention Camp in Delhi, India, over a visa overstay, Blueprint reports.

In a statement by its Director of Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Commission said Chukwuma was arrested in December 2025 after remaining in India without valid immigration documentation.

According to NIDCOM, Chukwuma told a Consular Officer of the Nigerian High Commission by phone that he had successfully sent his wife and three children back to Nigeria but chose to stay behind to pursue what he described as “business.”

The Commission further explained that although Chukwuma’s passport had expired in 2020, he was issued an Emergency Travel Certificate to facilitate his return during an amnesty period, but failed to utilise it before his arrest, after which the certificate expired during his detention.

NIDCOM noted that deportation cases are handled by India’s Foreigners Regional Registration Office, which clears detainees before repatriation, adding that several Nigerians had already been cleared while others remained in custody.

The Commission also disclosed that the High Commission had received reports alleging some detainees were involved in selling illegal substances within a deportation camp, prompting petitions to the FRRO.

NIDCOM said it has requested another six-month amnesty period for Nigerians residing illegally in India, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, and plans consular visits to assess detainee welfare across Indian provinces.

The Commission reiterated its warning to Nigerians abroad to “always obey the law of their host countries and avoid any form of illegality.”