The Nigerian government is negotiating a fresh six-month amnesty with India for Nigerians held in prisons and deportation camps over immigration violations and other irregularities, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has said.
NiDCOM Chairman, Hon. Abike Dabiri- Erewa, said the proposed arrangement is intended for detainees who are not standing trial for serious criminal offences.
Those eligible would be able to leave detention without settling outstanding immigration-related penalties, although they would be expected to fund their own transportation back to Nigeria.
The commission disclosed the development in a statement signed by its Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Sunday.
The statement followed public concern over Nigerians held at India’s Lampur detention centre in New Delhi and the case of a detainee identified as Ekene.
198 Nigerians visited in Maharashtra
According to NiDCOM, officials of the Nigerian High Commission in India visited 198 Nigerian inmates across five prisons in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, as of September 1.
The commission said Nigerians remain incarcerated in other Indian provinces and that the figure should not be interpreted as a complete nationwide total.
The High Commission is also pressing Indian authorities to expedite cases involving Nigerians awaiting trial. The proposed amnesty, however, would not cover people facing trial for criminal offences such as drug-related crimes, NiDCOM said.
Earlier amnesty and renewed arrests
The latest negotiations follow an earlier Indian amnesty programme for undocumented Nigerian migrants.
NiDCOM said the programme began on May 1, 2025, as a six-month window and was later extended by three months after negotiations by Nigeria’s High Commissioner.
The commission said thousands of Nigerians were released and returned home during the earlier period.
In a separate public post, Dabiri-Erewa described the number as more than
300, while NiDCOM’s response to Punch reported that more than 4,000 Nigerians
returned under the programme without legal or administrative penalties.
The differing figures were not reconciled in the official statement reviewed for this report. NiDCOM said some Nigerians did not regularise their status or leave India before the grace period ended.
Those who remained irregularly in the country were subsequently arrested
and transferred to deportation camps, the commission said.
“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.
The commission added that deportations remain at the discretion of the host country. It also said Indian authorities generally wait until the number of detainees is sufficiently large before arranging an airlift, partly to reduce the financial burden on taxpayers.
Ekene case and government response
The renewed public debate was triggered by appeals from journalist Rufai Oseni concerning Ekene, who was reportedly being held at the Lampur facility with more than 200 other Nigerians.
Oseni alleged that the detainees were living in difficult conditions and criticised what he considered a slow response by NiDCOM and the Nigerian mission.
NiDCOM said the High Commission was reviewing Ekene’s case and would facilitate his departure if he qualified under the applicable process and his family could raise funds for his travel.
The commission said procedures still had to be followed before any release or
deportation could take place.
The government’s position is that diplomatic intervention can help secure access, legal follow-up and negotiated relief, but it cannot compel India to release people facing criminal proceedings or independently determine the timing of deportations.
The High Commission is therefore handling immigration cases separately from matters involving pending criminal
trials.
Appeal to Nigerians abroad
Dabiri-Erewa urged Nigerians living in India and other countries to obey local laws, maintain valid immigration status and avoid conduct that could lead to arrest or deportation.
She also warned that Nigerians who remain in India without lawful status
could face renewed arrest if they fail to use a new amnesty window once it is formally approved.
The proposed six-month arrangement is not yet presented as an active amnesty. It remains under negotiation between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Indian counterpart, according to NiDCOM.
Until the agreement is formally effected, detainees and their families would need to rely on the Nigerian High Commission for case-specific guidance and should not assume that release is automatic.
For families waiting for the return of relatives, the negotiations offer a possible route out of prolonged immigration detention.
The outcome will depend on the final terms agreed by both governments, the legal status of individual detainees and the ability of beneficiaries to secure transport home.
