ABUJA — The Federal Government, through the Nigerian High Commission in India, has been attending to the cases of hundreds of Nigerians detained in various prisons across the country, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has said.
NiDCOM disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying officials of the Nigerian High Commission had, as of September 1, visited 198 Nigerian inmates across five prisons in Maharashtra and Mumbai.
The commission said more Nigerians were being held in prisons in other provinces of India.
It added that between September last year and May this year, the Nigerian High Commission secured amnesty for thousands of Nigerians detained in India, mainly over immigration offences and other irregularities.
According to the commission, those released under the amnesty had returned to Nigeria, although some Nigerians did not take advantage of the opportunity within the period it was offered.
NiDCOM also said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, had been engaging her Indian counterpart on securing another six-month amnesty for Nigerians who had not been tried but remained in detention camps over various offences.
On the case of a Nigerian identified as Mr Ekene, which has been raised in India, the commission said the Nigerian High Commission would review his case and facilitate his return if he was eligible to leave and his family could raise the funds required.
“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 urged Nigerians residing irregularly in India to take advantage of the next amnesty arrangement once it is concluded.
The commission quoted its Chairman/CEO, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, as advising Nigerians without valid immigration status to utilise the opportunity when it becomes available or risk arrest.
“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.
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Dabiri-Erewa explained that beneficiaries of the amnesty would not be required to pay penalties but would have to bear the cost of their return to Nigeria.
She, however, said the amnesty would not cover Nigerians awaiting trial for criminal offences, including drug-related offences.
NiDCOM appealed to Nigerians to avoid offences and crimes and obey the laws of countries where they reside.
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