The Government of India deported at least 2,356 Nigerians between 2019 and 2024, with removals rising sharply from 339 in 2021 to 1,470 in the 2023–2024 fiscal year.
Data obtained by The PUNCH from India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) show that in the most recent reporting period — April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024 — Nigerians were the most deported nationality, accounting for about 63 per cent of all foreign nationals removed from the country.
During that period, more than 2,331 foreign nationals were deported, with Nigerians making up nearly two-thirds of the total removals carried out by Foreigners Regional Registration Offices in Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Amritsar, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Bangladesh ranked second with 411 deportations (17.6 per cent), followed by Uganda with 78 (3.3 per cent).
The figures indicate that an average of 122 Nigerians were deported monthly in 2023–2024 — roughly four per day.
Historical data show that Nigerians have consistently topped India’s deportation list in recent years. In 2019, 547 Nigerians were deported out of 1,233 total foreign removals, representing 44.3 per cent. Deportations fell significantly in 2020 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, with only 258 foreigners removed between April and December. However, by 2021, as global travel resumed, 339 Nigerians were deported out of 821 total removals.
The rise from 339 in 2021 to 1,470 in 2023–2024 represents a 333 per cent increase. Nigeria’s share of overall deportations also grew from 44 per cent in 2019 to 63 per cent in 2023–2024.
Recent estimates place the Nigerian community in India at over 60,000, making it the largest West African population in the country.
The surge in deportations has occurred despite strengthening diplomatic ties between both nations. President Bola Tinubu visited India in September 2023 for the G20 Summit in New Delhi, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss cooperation in defence, trade, agriculture and investment.
In November 2024, Modi visited Nigeria — the first such visit by an Indian prime minister in 17 years — and was conferred with Nigeria’s second-highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger. The two countries signed memoranda of understanding on cultural exchange, customs cooperation and survey collaboration, while also reaffirming their Strategic Partnership established in 2007.
However, security concerns have remained central to bilateral discussions. In November 2024, national security advisers from both countries met for the India-Nigeria Strategic and Counter-Terrorism Dialogue to address terrorism, organised crime and illicit activities, including irregular migration and drug networks involving Nigerian nationals.
Indian authorities attribute many deportations to visa overstays and drug-related offences. According to MHA reports, deportations often stem from expired student visas or undocumented stay.
Data from India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) show that 106 Nigerians were arrested for drug trafficking in 2024, making them the second-highest group of foreign nationals implicated after Nepalese citizens.
In December 2025, Indian authorities deported 32 Nigerians following a multi-state narcotics operation in Delhi. Earlier, Hyderabad police deported several Nigerians over alleged visa violations and drug-related links, while Goa authorities disclosed that about 650 Nigerians were deported from the state between 2019 and 2022.
In April 2025, India enacted the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, replacing several colonial-era laws. The legislation, which took effect on September 1, 2025, increased penalties for unauthorised entry or overstaying to up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of 500,000 rupees, and mandated stricter reporting requirements for foreign students.
India recorded 9.84 million foreign visitors between April 2023 and March 2024, with Bangladesh, the United States and the United Kingdom accounting for the largest numbers.
Speaking on the trend, Charles Onunaiju, Research Director at the Centre for China Studies in Abuja, said limited opportunities at home were pushing many young Nigerians to seek prospects abroad.
Meanwhile, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) said the Federal Government has set up an inter-agency committee — including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the National Security Adviser — to manage cases involving mass deportations and reintegration of affected citizens.
