Abuja: The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed receiving 40 Nigerians deported from Mozambique.
The 40 deportees returned to Nigeria after several weeks in Mozambican detention.
NiDCOM confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the commission’s Director of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols.
The statement said the deportees arrived in Nigeria in three batches—13, 16, and 11—aboard South African Airways (flight SA60) and Ethiopian Airlines on March 24, 26, and 27. Two remain in Mozambique.
NiDCOM asserted that the deportation violated due process and described the methods as inhuman and rights-violating.
Balogun said the deportees were randomly arrested and detained in Mozambique, then deported to Nigeria, despite having proper documentation for their stay.
He said that although authorities alleged immigration issues, deportees’ documents disproved this.
According to him, some of the deportees who were received in Lagos by NiDCOM staff claimed that their money and some other valuables were confiscated after they were arrested and detained.
It is saddening that during this time, the Mozambican authorities ignored the Nigerian Embassy and rebuffed all its emissaries.
He emphasised that the 42 Nigerians were arrested at their workplaces while in possession of valid residency permits.
Some claimed arrests happened without notice, insisting on legal compliance.
They also said they were detained for days before deportation processing.
NiDCOM has urged Nigerians in Mozambique to stay calm and obey the law, assuring them that the Nigerian High Commission is addressing the situation and has requested an investigation into the arrests, detentions, and alleged human rights breaches.
The commission said it had notified the Mozambique envoy in Nigeria and called for redress.
Of the two Nigerians yet to return, one is reportedly married to a Mozambican and the other claims to have been born there.
Meanwhile, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, urged Nigerians in South Africa to remain calm and law-abiding.
Her call followed violence against Nigerians during a festival in South Africa.
She said the Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa was investigating allegations of violence against Nigerians celebrating a cultural festival in Eastern Cape province.
Tensions rose over a Nigerian leader’s installation in the city, which the host community misunderstood.
Some South Africans in the area viewed the community leader’s installation as the Nigerian community trying to seize political power.
Traditional leader Xhanti Sigcawu told reporters the ceremony left chiefs feeling undermined, calling it Xhosa territory.
