By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to India, Amb. Saidu Dahiru Muhammad, has stepped in to address severe grievances—including racial discrimination, delayed trials, and physical abuse—reported by 198 Nigerian nationals held in Indian correctional facilities.
Muhammad disclosed the intervention during a briefing with diplomatic correspondents at the 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi, following a three-day inspection tour where he met directly with the detainees.
According to him, the visits were aimed at understanding the welfare and concerns of Nigerians incarcerated in India, with the mission interacting directly with 198 citizens during the three-day exercise.
The High Commissioner noted that he visited several correctional facilities, including those housing 16, more than 70 and over 50 Nigerian inmates, as well as 19 women and girls in detention.
“This is to show that our government is concerned about its citizens. We call it citizen-centred diplomacy,” he said.
The detainees raised concerns ranging from alleged maltreatment and racial discrimination to limited access to legal representation, delays in court proceedings and inadequate medical attention, during his visit.
The complaints prompted the mission to engage prison authorities, with Muhammad noting that several of the concerns were traced to prolonged investigations and delays in the judicial process rather than the actions of prison officials.
“We realised that prison officials were generally cooperative, but many detainees are awaiting trial and the judicial process takes time.”
According to him, the mission was working to bridge communication gaps by engaging relevant authorities and advocating for the rights of Nigerian citizens in detention.
Muhammad maintained that regardless of the allegations against detainees, their fundamental human rights must be respected and their welfare protected.
“Universal principles require that all human beings be treated fairly. Their fundamental rights must not be abused, distorted or violated in any way, and their welfare must be taken care of,” he stated.
The High Commissioner confirmed that the mission had submitted a detailed report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlining the concerns raised during the visits and recommending measures to address them.
The concerns documented by the mission were promptly taken up by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who appreciated the team’s efforts and pledged to elevate the issues to the highest levels of government.
Muhammad linked the intervention to Nigeria’s citizen-centred diplomacy, aimed at ensuring that Nigerians abroad remain connected to their country even when facing legal challenges.
“Nigeria remembers them. That is why we are going there.”
Seven weeks into his tenure, the High Commissioner reported that the mission had been sending weekly dispatches to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ensuring senior officials remained abreast of developments concerning Nigerians in India.
He also disclosed that the mission had strengthened its engagement with the Nigerian community, encouraging community leaders and organisations to bring their concerns directly to the High Commission.
“We have told them that this mission is open to them. They can come here with their concerns and activities. We use those opportunities to advise them, caution them where necessary and address legitimate complaints.”
He also pointed to the scale of India, with a population of more than 1.4 billion people, as one of the challenges confronting the mission, particularly amid limited funding for consular outreach across the country.
Muhammad acknowledged that the mission did not have the financial capacity to set up consular offices in different parts of India, but maintained that the limitation would not prevent it from reaching Nigerians across the country.
“We should have the capacity to go out and reach our people, so they know that we are here for them.”
The mission, he maintained, would continue to prioritise the welfare of Nigerians in India while using people-to-people engagement to deepen relations between both countries.
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