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Fresh Twist in Rufai–NiDCOM Row as Commission Explains Ekene’s Deportation Ordeal
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, has provided fresh details on the detention and pending deportation of Ekene Vitus Chukwuma, a Nigerian being held at the Lampur detention camp in New Delhi, India.
The latest development comes days after a public disagreement between broadcaster Rufai Oseni and NiDCOM Chairman/CEO, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, over the handling of Ekene’s case.
Biztellers reports that Oseni had raised concerns about Ekene’s detention, alleging that he supplied the detainee’s contact details to NiDCOM but that neither the commission nor the Nigerian mission had contacted him.
RELATED NEWS: Rufai Oseni Row: NiDCOM Breaks Silence on Nigerians Detained in India, Addresses Ekene’s Case
Dabiri-Erewa subsequently shared NiDCOM’s response, which stated that Ekene was among Nigerians who did not take advantage of an amnesty offered by Indian authorities to undocumented migrants.
In its latest clarification on Wednesday, NiDCOM said Ekene was arrested in December 2025 for overstaying his visa.
According to the commission, Ekene told a consular officer that he had sent his wife and three children back to Nigeria but decided to remain in India to do “business” despite lacking valid documentation.
NiDCOM said Ekene’s Nigerian passport had expired in 2020.
The commission further disclosed that the Nigerian High Commission had previously issued him an Emergency Travel Certificate, ETC, during an amnesty period to facilitate his return to Nigeria.
However, NiDCOM said Ekene did not use the ETC and instead remained in India after his family returned home.
He was subsequently arrested again, while the ETC issued to him expired during his detention.
NiDCOM explained that deportation proceedings are handled by India’s Foreigners Regional Registration Office, FRRO, which is responsible for checking and clearing detainees before they can be deported.
The commission said several Nigerians had already been cleared, while others remained in detention awaiting the completion of the process.
According to NiDCOM, once a detainee is cleared and ready for deportation, the individual is expected to bear the cost of returning home.
The Nigerian High Commission then issues an ETC after receiving the deportation request from the Indian authorities.
The commission also said it had received reports that some detainees were allegedly involved in the sale of illegal substances within the deportation camp, adding that some detainees had petitioned the FRRO over the situation.
The fresh clarification comes after Oseni publicly questioned the response of NiDCOM to Ekene’s plight and called attention to the number of Nigerians reportedly being held at the facility.
In an earlier response, NiDCOM said India’s targeted amnesty programme began on May 1, 2025, initially for six months, and was later extended by three months following negotiations involving Nigeria’s High Commissioner.
The commission said more than 4,000 Nigerians returned home under the amnesty without legal or administrative penalties, while those who failed to regularise their status or leave during the grace period were subsequently arrested and placed in deportation camps.
NiDCOM said the Nigerian High Commission was still engaging Indian authorities for another six-month amnesty to enable Nigerians residing or working illegally in the country to return home without penalties.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian mission in India has continued consular visits to Nigerians in detention and prisons.
The Voice of Nigeria reported that, as of September 1, 2026, officials of the Nigerian High Commission had visited 198 Nigerian inmates across five prisons in Maharashtra, including Mumbai.
NiDCOM said the visits formed part of the Federal Government’s citizen-centred diplomacy policy and that the mission would continue monitoring the welfare of Nigerians detained across India.
The commission also reiterated its warning to Nigerians abroad to obey the laws of their host countries and avoid activities that could lead to arrest, detention or deportation.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reacted to a fresh financial controversy involving former Anambra State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate Peter Obi, after the Anambra State Government released records detailing loans and other liabilities it said were linked to his administration.
Keyamo, in a post on X on Wednesday, September 16, reacted to the development with a brief remark “This is serious.”
The reaction came shortly after the Anambra Government published a three-page statement titled “Gov Peter Obi and Record of Public Debt in Anambra: Facts Beyond Propaganda and Lies.”
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In the statement, the state government said Obi’s administration left behind eight external borrowings when he left office on March 17, 2014.
According to the government, the loans had an original combined value of $123.77 million, while the outstanding balance stood at $92.35 million as of June 30, 2026, equivalent to about ₦127.37 billion at the official exchange rate.
The loans listed included projects covering malaria control, healthcare, education, erosion and watershed management, community development and agricultural value-chain development.
The government said the loans were being serviced by subsequent administrations.
The state also challenged Obi’s claim that he left more than ₦2.13 billion in an ecological fund before leaving office.
Anambra Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Law Mefor, said the government obtained a certified printout of the First Bank account identified by Obi and claimed that it was an internally generated revenue consolidated account rather than an ecological fund account.
He further said the government’s records did not show the ₦2.13 billion balance claimed by Obi.
The government also disputed Obi’s claim that his administration left office without outstanding salaries, pensions and gratuities. It said the Soludo administration had cleared about ₦22 billion in inherited gratuity arrears, while alleging that some liabilities involving retired teachers and Water Corporation workers remained.
The latest claims followed Obi’s rejection of earlier allegations concerning his administration’s financial record.
Obi had maintained that his government cleared historical arrears and said that, at the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, pensions or certified contractor obligations.
He also said the ecological fund was deliberately left untouched for the incoming administration because it was meant for a specific erosion project.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Ilorin, Kwara State, for the turbaning of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin and the commissioning of the Kwara Garment Factory.
The Vice President’s arrival was disclosed on Wednesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President.
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Shettima was received by Governor AbdulRazaq and other dignitaries, including Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris.
The governors are in Ilorin to show solidarity with AbdulRazaq, who also serves as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, as he receives the traditional title from the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, at the Emir’s Palace.
Shettima is also expected to commission the Kwara Garment Factory, one of the state’s major industrial projects aimed at boosting local production and creating employment opportunities.
The Akwa Ibom State Government has announced that unregistered commercial tricycles and buses will no longer be allowed to operate on roads across the state from October 1, 2026.
The governor disclosed this on Wednesday while announcing a September 30 deadline for all commercial tricycle and bus operators to complete their registration and obtain identification numbers and QR codes.
According to the governor, the directive is part of measures to strengthen security and ensure that commercial transport operators can be properly identified and tracked where necessary.
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The governor said, “I have directed all commercial tricycle and bus operators in Akwa Ibom State to complete their registration and obtain identification numbers and QR codes on or before September 30, 2026.
“After the deadline, no unregistered public transport vehicle will be allowed to operate on our roads.
“This is part of our effort to strengthen security and ensure that commercial transport operators can be properly identified and tracked where necessary.”
The governor also inspected several ongoing projects and facilities, including the CNG Bus Terminal, Victor Attah International Airport Hospital, Aviation Staff Quarters and Dakkada Luxury Estate.
He said work was progressing at the facilities, adding that the CNG transport facilities were expected to become operational by November.
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