NIDCOM Gives Update On Ekene Vitus Chukwuma Deportation Case In India, Says He Refused Amnesty To Return To Nigeria

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, has released an official update on the deportation case of Mr Ekene Vitus Chukwuma who is currently detained in India.

According to the press statement signed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols on September 16, 2026, Mr Ekene is currently being held at the Lampur detention camp in Delhi, India.

NIDCOM disclosed that he was arrested in December 2025 for visa overstay. In a telephone call to the Consular Officer of the Nigerian High Commission in India, Ekene reportedly said he had successfully sent his wife and three children back to Nigeria but chose to remain in India to do some business despite not having proper documentation.

The Commission revealed that his Nigerian passport expired since 2020. During an amnesty period last year, he was issued an Emergency Travel Certificate, ETC, by the Nigerian High Commission to enable him return home.

However, he did not use the ETC. He instead sent his family back to Nigeria and stayed behind. He was later arrested again and the ETC expired while he was in detention.

The Foreigners Regional Registration Office, FRRO, is the agency in charge of deportation in India and will only deport individuals after they have been checked and cleared. NIDCOM stated that the FRRO has cleared many Nigerians but more are still in detention awaiting deportation. Once cleared to be deported at their own expense, the High Commission of Nigeria in India will issue Emergency Travel Certificates to them.

The High Commission also said it received a report that some detainees were engaged in the sale of illegal substances inside the deportation camp, which led to petitions by some detainees to the FRRO.

In summary, Mr Ekene Vitus Chukwuma remained in India with a passport that expired in 2020. He was given an amnesty and an ETC to return last year but refused to utilize it and sent his wife and children home instead.

The Nigerian High Commission said it will continue to monitor the situation of Ekene and hundreds of other Nigerians awaiting deportation. The Mission has requested another round of six months amnesty for Nigerians residing and working illegally in India to leave without payment of penalties.

The statement added that copies of the ETC issued to Ekene which he refused to use and his expired Nigerian passport are attached as evidence. Also attached is a picture of a prison visit in Mumbai, Maharashtra State by the High Commissioner, Ambassador Saidu Dahiru Muhammad and members of the Mission’s diplomatic staff.

The visit is part of the implementation of the federal government’s citizen-centred diplomacy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The Mission plans to embark on consular visits across other provinces to check on the welfare of Nigerian inmates and report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

NIDCOM reiterated its warning to Nigerians abroad to always obey the laws of their host countries and avoid any form of illegality.