Over 2,000 Nigerians stranded in India deportation camp — Detainee Ekene

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By Folarin Kehinde

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A Nigerian, Mr Ekene, currently detained in a deportation camp in India, has alleged that delays in obtaining travel documents and the slow processing of deportation cases are keeping him and more than 2,000 other Nigerians stranded at the facility.

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Ekene made the allegation during a monitored online interview with Vanguard, days after the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the Indian government had previously granted a targeted amnesty to undocumented Nigerian migrants.

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Dabiri-Erewa, responding to television personality Rufai Oseni, said the amnesty commenced on May 1, 2025, for an initial six months and was subsequently extended by three months following negotiations by Nigeria’s High Commissioner to India.

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She said no fewer than 4,000 Nigerians had returned to Nigeria under the programme without legal or administrative penalties.

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According to her, Ekene and some others failed to regularise their status or leave during the amnesty period and were subsequently arrested and detained in a deportation camp.

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However, Ekene, who said he was part of a seven-man committee that met with officials of the Nigerian mission when they visited the camp, offered a different account of the immediate challenge confronting the detainees.

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According to him, the central issue is not simply whether an amnesty exists, but whether the necessary processes, particularly the issuance of travel documents, are completed to enable detainees to leave.

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“Amnesty or no amnesty is not the problem. The problem here is that people are not moving,” Ekene said.

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He explained that some detainees had been told that those brought into the camp from 2024 up to December 1, 2025, were eligible to leave without paying penalties under the amnesty arrangement.

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He said three people had already left under the arrangement but maintained that many others remained stranded because they lacked the documents required to travel.

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“Before you travel, you need to get your travel documents. So, if I don’t get my travel documents, how will I travel?” he asked.

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Ekene said Nigerian officials explained to the detainees that they could not directly collect their National Identification Numbers, NINs, and other information because they were in the custody of the Indian authorities.

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He said the Indian authorities were expected to provide the necessary information to the Nigerian mission, which would then issue travel documents and return them to the Indian authorities.

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The detainee appealed to Nigerian officials to visit the camp regularly and monitor the process.

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According to him, the physical presence of Nigerian officials was necessary because detainees found it difficult to get the Indian authorities to respond to their complaints.

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“If you are not coming here, how can we move?” he asked.

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‘16 Nigerians stopped after booking flights’

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Ekene also alleged that about 16 Nigerians who had booked flights were prevented from travelling after Indian authorities reportedly claimed that their travel documents had not been properly confirmed.

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He disputed the explanation, saying the detainees had evidence showing that their documents were submitted for verification and that they were subsequently told to proceed with booking their flights.

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“We have our evidence. We have the chats,” he said, adding that some detainees had booked their flights two or three weeks ahead of their intended departure dates.

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He alleged that some were only informed shortly before departure that they could not travel.

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Ekene said explanations that the authorities could not properly verify detainees’ arrival dates in India were difficult to understand because the information should be available from their passports and visa records.

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Poor conditions in camp

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Beyond the delays in deportation, Ekene described the living conditions in the camp as deplorable.

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During the online interview, he showed parts of the facility, including blocked drainage, waste around the compound and damaged bathroom facilities.

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He said detainees cooked their own food and sometimes had to wait for days before waste was removed.

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“The sanitary conditions here are very poor,” he said.

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Ekene also claimed that two people died in the camp last year and that the authorities subsequently contacted the Nigerian Embassy and the families of the deceased.

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He further complained about access to healthcare, alleging that detainees were not easily taken to hospital unless their conditions became critical.

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“I became sick after they first brought me here, and I am still sick up till date,” he said.

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‘We are waiting to go home’

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Ekene rejected the perception that those in the camp should simply be regarded as criminals, insisting that the detainees he was referring to were being held for deportation-related reasons.

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He said those with criminal cases could be identified through the Indian authorities’ systems and taken to prison rather than a deportation facility.

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He also estimated that an individual would currently need about ₦1 million to return to Nigeria, principally for an airline ticket, while those without valid passports or identification documents could incur additional costs in obtaining travel documents.

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He appealed to the Nigerian government to intensify its engagement with Indian authorities and ensure that the deportation process moved faster.

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“We need you guys. You are supposed to come and check on us. Are they moving? The one that issued for travel documents, are they moving?” he said.

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Meanwhile, Dabiri-Erewa said the Nigerian High Commission in India was still engaging the Indian authorities in an effort to secure a fresh extension of the amnesty programme.

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She also said the NiDCOM legal team would continue to monitor the situation, while urging Nigerians to pursue regular and lawful migration.

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