Nigeria: NiDCOM Decries Alleged Rights Violation As Mozambique Deports 40 Nigerians

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has announced that 40 out of the 42 Nigerians recently arrested in Mozambique have been deported back to the country.

In a statement on Tuesday signed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Commission's Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, NiDCOM said the returnees arrived in Nigeria in three separate batches on March 24, 26 and 27, 2026, respectively.

According to the statement, the deportees were flown into the country aboard South African Airways flight SA60 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight, arriving in groups of 13, 16 and 11, respectively. It added that two of the Nigerians remained in Mozambique.

The Commission, however, criticised the deportation process, arguing that it did not follow due process and amounted to a violation of the rights of the deportees.

Balogun stated that the Nigerians were reportedly picked up at their business locations despite possessing valid residency documents.

He further noted that while Mozambican authorities attributed the arrests to immigration-related concerns, records presented by the deportees indicated otherwise.

"Some of the deportees who were received by NiDCOM staff in Lagos claimed that their money and some other valuables taken from them while in detention were not given back to them upon deportation while huge sums were also taken from their mobile app," the statement read.

"It is saddening that while all of these were going on, the Mozambican authorities did not reach out to the Nigerian Embassy while all emissaries from the Embassy were rebuffed."

NiDCOM also disclosed that the affected Nigerians were held for several days before being deported.

For the two Nigerians still in Mozambique, the Commission explained that one is married to a Mozambican citizen, while the other was born in the country.

Meanwhile, NiDCOM chairperson/CEO, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has appealed for calm among Nigerians in South Africa following reports of attacks on Nigerians during a cultural festival.

Dabiri-Erewa said the incident may have stemmed from a misunderstanding and assured that the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa was already looking into the matter.

She urged all stakeholders to exercise restraint while diplomatic efforts continued to address the situation.

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