A video circulating online shows a man identifying himself as Browson Clever speaking from a deportation facility in India, appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government for help. Clever said he has been at the facility since June and claimed some Nigerians have spent more than two or three years there.
"We have over 200 Nigerians in this place," Clever said in the video. "We don't have proper medication, no proper food. We have gone through depression and all of that."
Clever alleged the prolonged detention is affecting the mental health of detainees. He claimed that "people have gone mad" and that "some persons have died," but provided no names, figures, dates or details about the alleged deaths.
The appeal comes days after the case of Ekene Chukwuma, a Nigerian detained at the Lampur detention camp in Delhi, attracted public attention. Chukwuma has alleged that delays in obtaining travel documents are keeping Nigerians at the facility even after they become eligible to leave under India's amnesty arrangement.
In a separate interview with Vanguard, Chukwuma claimed more than 2,000 Nigerians were at the camp, although that figure has not been independently confirmed. He also alleged poor sanitation and healthcare and claimed that two people died at the camp last year.
The conflicting figures underline the need for an official headcount. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has confirmed that hundreds of Nigerians are being held across Indian prisons and detention facilities. It said Nigerian officials had, as of September 1, visited 198 Nigerian inmates across five prisons in Maharashtra, while others were held in facilities in other Indian states.
NiDCOM, led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said India introduced an amnesty for undocumented Nigerian migrants in May 2025. The programme was initially for six months and was later extended by three months. NiDCOM said thousands of Nigerians returned during the amnesty, while some who did not regularise their status or leave were subsequently detained.
NiDCOM also said Chukwuma was arrested in December 2025 after overstaying his visa and had been issued an Emergency Travel Certificate to facilitate his return. Chukwuma disputed that account, saying he spent months in detention before receiving the document.
The commission stated that the Nigerian High Commission in India is monitoring Chukwuma's case and those of other Nigerians awaiting deportation. It also said the mission had requested another six-month amnesty for Nigerians living or working illegally in India.
The issue was raised at the highest diplomatic level on September 13, when Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, held talks with India's Foreign Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, in New Delhi. According to Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Odumegwu-Ojukwu sought a further extension of the amnesty to allow affected Nigerians to return voluntarily without penalties.
The Indian authorities had not publicly responded to the latest allegations about conditions or the reported deaths by the time of submission.
Clever's video appeal specifically urged Nigerians and the government to intervene in the situation at the facility. He said the combination of inadequate food, lack of proper medication and the psychological toll of indefinite detention has left detainees in a fragile state.
The detention facility holds people mainly over visa overstays and expired passports, according to reports. The amnesty programme introduced in May 2025 was designed to allow undocumented Nigerians to leave without penalties, but the process has left many waiting for extended periods.
NiDCOM's statement said the Nigerian High Commission in India is tracking the cases of Nigerians awaiting deportation. The commission's request for another six-month amnesty suggests the previous extensions were not enough to clear the backlog of cases.
The discrepancy between Clever's count of over 200 and Chukwuma's claim of more than 2,000 remains unresolved. Neither figure has been independently verified, and no official headcount has been published by either government.
Chukwuma's case drew particular attention because he said he became eligible to leave under the amnesty arrangement but remained detained due to delays in obtaining travel documents. NiDCOM disputed parts of his account, saying he had been issued an Emergency Travel Certificate.
The diplomatic meeting between Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Jaishankar on September 13 placed the issue before the Indian government directly. The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the minister sought a further extension of the amnesty, but no public response from the Indian side had been reported.
According to Pulse.ng.
