The controversy over the detention of Nigerians at a deportation camp in India has taken a fresh turn after detained Nigerian, Ekene Vitus Chukwuma, disputed the account given by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) over his case.

Ekene’s response was posted on X on Wednesday by broadcaster Rufai Oseni, who has been at the centre of a public dispute with NiDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, over the treatment of Nigerians detained in India.

SEE MORE: Rufai Oseni Row: NiDCOM Breaks Silence on Nigerians Detained in India, Addresses Ekene’s Case

Fresh Twist in Rufai–NiDCOM Row as Commission Explains Ekene’s Deportation Ordeal

NiDCOM had earlier said Ekene was arrested in December 2025 for overstaying his visa and had failed to take advantage of an amnesty programme offered by Indian authorities to undocumented Nigerians.

The commission said the amnesty, which began in May 2025 and was later extended, enabled more than 4,000 Nigerians to return home without legal or administrative penalties. It added that some Nigerians who failed to utilise the opportunity were subsequently arrested and placed in deportation camps.

But Ekene has rejected parts of the commission’s account, declaring:
“That’s a false report, why are they making this lie on my head?”

He specifically disputed the impression that his wife and children were still in India during the amnesty period.

According to the statement, Ekene said his wife and children had returned to Nigeria before the amnesty began, adding that his family had been back home since the end of 2020.

“Wife and kids were sent to Nigeria years before the 2025 amnesty; family has been home since end of 2020,” he said.

Ekene also gave a different account of his arrest, saying Indian police came to his residence on December 15, 2025, and took him to a local police station.

He said he was transferred to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) the following day, where he was fingerprinted and checked for possible illegal activity.

“On 16 Dec I was taken to FRRO, fingerprinted and checked for illegal activity; they confirmed I had no illegal activities other than visa overstay,” he said.

According to Ekene, he was subsequently taken directly to a deportation camp.
ETC delay allegation

Ekene further alleged that a Nigerian who claimed to be an agent working with FRRO demanded 35,000 Indian rupees from him in connection with obtaining an Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC).

He said he could not afford the alleged payment because he only had enough money to purchase a flight ticket to Nigeria.

Ekene claimed that detainees later organised a peaceful protest inside the camp over the alleged demand, after which the payment request stopped.

The allegation of a 35,000-rupee demand has not been independently verified.
He said he continued pushing for the ETC and that the Nigerian High Commission eventually issued the document on May 16, 2026, five months after his arrest.

Ekene said the document was valid for three months but expired while he was still in detention.

“I spent almost six months in the deportation camp before receiving ETC,” he said.

He argued that if the document had been issued earlier, he could have purchased a flight and returned to Nigeria, saying his limited funds were enough for the journey but not for any additional payment he was allegedly asked to make.

The latest account adds another layer to the dispute between Oseni and NiDCOM.

Oseni had accused the commission of failing to follow up after he supplied Ekene’s details, while NiDCOM maintained that it had responded through official channels and that the Nigerian High Commission remained engaged with Indian authorities.

NiDCOM has also said deportation ultimately depends on the Indian authorities and that efforts were ongoing to secure a fresh amnesty for Nigerians still in detention.

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.”

SEE MORE: 2027: Presidency Tackles Steve Osuji Over Peter Obi’s ‘Messiah’ Narrative

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.