Posted by Samuel on Fri 27th Mar, 2026 - tori.ng
According to the commission, Mozambican authorities claimed the saffected Nigerians lacked proper documentation.
Thirteen Nigerians, among the 42 citizens previously arrested in Mozambique, have been deported back to Nigeria despite reportedly committing no known offence.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, noting that the deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to the commission, Mozambican authorities claimed the saffected Nigerians lacked proper documentation.
However, the deportees reportedly presented evidence showing they possessed valid documents permitting them to reside in the country, except for one individual whose visa had expired a day before the deportation.
Receiving the returnees on behalf of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the commission’s representative, Dipo Odebowale, said the Nigerians were not treated fairly by Mozambican authorities.
He expressed optimism that the Minister of Foreign Affairs would raise the matter with his Mozambican counterpart.
The deportees, who arrived in Nigeria aboard South African Airways flight SA60, said they were arrested at their various business premises in Maputo.
They claimed they were detained despite having valid documentation allowing them to remain in Mozambique.
The returnees also disclosed that 29 other Nigerians remain in detention in Maputo, calling for urgent intervention by Nigerian authorities.
The deported Nigerians, all adult males, appealed to NiDCOM to help secure justice and redress for the treatment they experienced.
Meanwhile, Dabiri-Erewa expressed sympathy over their ordeal and welcomed them back to Nigeria.
She also urged Nigerians living abroad to respect the laws of their host countries.
The NiDCOM boss, however, emphasised that no Nigerian should face punishment for offences they did not commit.
Full List of Nigerians arrested in Mozambique:
AUGUSTINE CHUKWUKA OKEKE
MAXIMUS ANAYO l
OKECHUKWU BENJAMIN ECHE
ANAEROBI IKENNA MARTINS
STEPHEN ANAYO OKONGWE
ONWUJEWE RAYMOND
CHUKWUNAZOR0M DONATUS JOHN
AGINAM CHUKWUENYEM DAVID
COLLINS ADERITO UZOEWULU
OKONKWO NNAMDI JOHNPAUL
ONWUNYILI LAWRENCE CHUKWUEMEKA
UGOCHUKWU VALENTINE EZECHIEDUM
NNAMDI OKECHUKWU
CELESTINE OKALU
GOODLUCK CHUKWUNYERE EPHRAIN l
EBUKA AMUH PABLO
CHUKWUEMEKA STEVEN UGWU
CISLOUYINDIKA IFEANYI EZEIFEOMA
CHINEDU DANIEL IGWILO
IDEH SAMUEL EZINWA
OGOCHUKWU MICHAEL OKONKWOR
OKECHUKWU CHRISTOPHER
CHINEDU OKEKE
CHUKWUEBUKA TOBECHUKWU ORAKA
SIMON NNAEMEKA
ONYEKA EMMANUEL UFONDO
CHIDERA CHRISTOPHER
NZUBE KINGSLEY EBERE
EKENE SAMUEL NWANA
CHRISTIAN EMEKA MUOKA
GERALD EMEKA GODWIN
OGU INYANG
OLUEBUBECHUKWU VICTOR MADUKA
ONYEDIKA KINGSLEY
DONATUS UCHI
CHINECHEREM ALU
EMMANUEL ANENE UGWU
MUONEKE MATEUS
MARTIN TOCHUKWU MBAKWE
IKECHUKWU NWALI
LOTANNA OKEKE
EMEKA HENRY EKENTA
See photos of the deported Nigerians: