FG seeks fresh six-month amnesty for Nigerians detained in India

The Federal Government is seeking a fresh six-month amnesty that would allow Nigerians held in Indian detention camps over immigration-related offences to return home, as the Nigerian High Commission in India confirmed that it had visited 198 Nigerian inmates across five prisons in Maharashtra and Mumbai.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) said in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, that the prison visits were conducted as of September 1, 2026, and that more Nigerians remain held in prisons in other Indian provinces.

According to the commission, an earlier amnesty secured by the High Commission between September last year and May this year led to the release and repatriation of thousands of Nigerians detained mainly for immigration offences and other irregularities. Some Nigerians, however, did not take advantage of that window before it expired.

NiDCOM said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, is now engaging her Indian counterpart to secure another six-month amnesty for Nigerians who have not been tried but remain in detention camps over immigration-related offences. The proposed amnesty would not cover Nigerians awaiting trial for criminal offences, including drug-related crimes, and beneficiaries would not pay penalties but would bear the cost of their return to Nigeria.

The intervention follows public concern over the case of a Nigerian identified as Mr Ekene, whose detention in India has drawn attention in recent days. NiDCOM said the High Commission is reviewing his case and would facilitate his return if he is eligible to leave India and his family can raise the required funds. NiDCOM earlier defended its handling of the detainees’ cases after campaigners questioned its response.

The commission said the mission is also putting pressure on the Indian government to speed up trials for Nigerians awaiting court proceedings. “The Nigerian High Commission is on his case and that of others in similar circumstances and has also been putting pressure on the Indian government to speed up cases of those awaiting trials for various offences,” the statement said.

NiDCOM Chairman/CEO Abike Dabiri-Erewa advised Nigerians living in India without valid immigration status to use the next amnesty window once it takes effect. “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,” she said.

The proposed amnesty is not yet in effect: it depends on agreement from the Indian government, and no start date has been announced. Nigerians affected can confirm eligibility and requirements through the Nigerian High Commission in New Delhi as the negotiations progress.

Source: Arise News, Vanguard