The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has provided an update on the case of Mr. Ekene Vitus Chukwuma, who is currently being held at the Lampur detention camp in Delhi, India, following his arrest for a visa overstay.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols at NiDCOM, Chukwuma was first arrested in December 2025 due to his immigration status.
Balogun stated that Chukwuma informed a consular officer of the Nigerian High Commission by telephone that he had successfully sent his wife and three children back to Nigeria but remained in India to conduct business despite lacking proper documentation.
His Nigerian passport had expired in 2020.
The High Commission initially issued Chukwuma an Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) during an amnesty period to enable his return to Nigeria.
However, he allegedly chose not to use the document and remained in India after sending his family home. Chukwuma was subsequently arrested again, and the ETC issued to him expired during his detention.
According to NiDCOM, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which is in charge of deportations, only deports individuals after they have been checked and cleared.
While many have been cleared, others remain detained awaiting deportation, which takes place at the individuals’ own expense.
The Nigerian High Commission issues new Emergency Travel Certificates to detainees once it receives formal requests for their deportation.
The High Commission also reported that it recently received information regarding some detainees engaging in the sale of illegal substances inside the deportation camp, prompting certain detainees to petition the FRRO.
The commission further narrated that Chukwuma remained in India with a passport that expired in 2020, declined to use an amnesty window to return home last year while sending his family back, and subsequently had his ETC expire while in a deportation camp following a new arrest.
The Nigerian High Commission stated that it will continue to monitor Chukwuma’s situation alongside those of hundreds of other detainees.
The Mission has requested another round of a six-month amnesty for Nigerians residing and working illegally in India to allow them to leave without paying penalties.
Additionally, following prison visits in Mumbai by High Commissioner Ambassador Saidu Dahiru Muhammad and diplomatic staff, the Mission plans to conduct further consular visits across other provinces to check on the welfare of Nigerian inmates and report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.