The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has defended its account of the detention of a Nigerian, Ekene Vitus Chukwuma, in India, insisting that he remained in the country after his travel documents had expired.

NiDCOM said Chukwuma’s Nigerian passport expired in 2020 and that he was arrested in December 2025 for allegedly overstaying his visa.

The commission made the clarification on Thursday in response to a report in which Chukwuma disputed some of the claims previously made about his case.

According to the report, Chukwuma had been held at a deportation camp in Delhi since December 2025 and claimed that he did not receive an Emergency Travel Certificate until May 2026, about six months after his arrest.

He also reportedly denied NiDCOM’s claim that he had earlier received an Emergency Travel Certificate during an amnesty programme but failed to use it to return to Nigeria.

However, NiDCOM maintained that Chukwuma’s immigration status was central to understanding the circumstances surrounding his detention.

The commission said his passport had expired in 2020 and alleged that he continued to stay in India to conduct business without valid travel documentation.

“His Nigerian passport expired in 2020 [six years ago]. Remaining in another country after that, without valid documents, to ‘do business’ is visa overstay. That is an offence,” NiDCOM said.

The commission also rejected what it described as a portrayal of Chukwuma solely as a victim without consideration of his immigration status.

It urged Nigerians living abroad to comply with the laws governing their stay in foreign countries.“Use your platform to promote regular migration, not visa overstay. Irregular stay is a crime.

It harms the image of every Nigerian who follows the rules,” the commission said.What NiDCOM Said About Chukwuma’s DetentionIn an earlier update, NiDCOM said Chukwuma was being held at the Lampur detention camp in Delhi following his arrest in December 2025.

The commission said Chukwuma told a consular officer of the Nigerian High Commission during a telephone conversation that he had sent his wife and three children back to Nigeria while he remained in India to conduct business.

NiDCOM said Chukwuma’s passport had expired in 2020 and that the Nigerian High Commission had previously issued him an Emergency Travel Certificate to facilitate his return to Nigeria under an amnesty arrangement.

According to the commission, Chukwuma did not use the document and remained in India until his eventual arrest and detention.NiDCOM said the Emergency Travel Certificate subsequently expired.

Deportation ProcessThe commission explained that India’s Foreigners Regional Registration Office is responsible for deportation proceedings and that detainees must first be cleared by the relevant Indian authorities before they can be deported.

It added that the Nigerian High Commission would issue fresh Emergency Travel Certificates to Nigerians cleared for deportation once it received the necessary requests from Indian authorities.

NiDCOM further disclosed that the Nigerian High Commission had requested another six-month amnesty for Nigerians living and working illegally in India to enable them to return home without paying penalties.

The commission said it remained committed to assisting Nigerians genuinely in distress abroad while urging citizens to respect the laws of their host countries.

“NiDCOM remains committed to taking up genuine cases of Nigerians in distress abroad. We also urge our citizens to abide by the laws of their host countries because Nigerians in the diaspora are law-abiding citizens,” the commission said.