Update: Re-Ekene Vitus Chukwuma’s Deportation Issue in India

Mr Ekene is currently in Lampur detention camp, Delhi, India. He was arrested in December, 2025, for visa overstay.
Eereporter.com

He informed the Consular Officer of our High Commission via telephone call that he successfully sent his wife and three children back to Nigeria but stayed back to do some “business” despite lack of proper documentation, with a passport that expired since 2020. He was issued an ETC (Emergency Travel Certificate) by the Nigerian High Commission to allow him return home during the amnesty period.

However, he chose not to use the ETC, sent his wife and children back home, while he stayed behind. He was arrested again and his ETC expired while he was in detention.

The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), are in charge of deportation, and will only deport after the individual has been checked and cleared.

They have cleared many but more are still being detained and awaiting deportation.
When they are cleared and ready to be sent back (at their own expense) .

The High Commission of Nigeria in India will then issue an Emergency Travel Certificates (ETC) to them after receiving the request of deportation concerning those to be deported.

The High Commission said it recently received a report that some of the detainees were engaged in sale of illegal substances “market” even inside the deportation camp, and some detainees petitioned the Foreigners Regional Registration Office.

In summary, Mr Ekene remained in India with a passport that expired in 2020. He got an amnesty to return last year but rather chose to remain, while he sent his wife and children back home The ETC given to him to return home expired while he was arrested and put in a deportation camp.

The Nigerian High Commission would continue to monitor the situation of Ekene and hundreds of other deportees as the Mission has requested for another round of six months amnesty for those Nigerians residing and working illegally in India to leave without any payment of penalties (pls find attached the copies of ETC issued to Ekine which he refused utilising to return home as well as his expired Nigerian passport ).

Also attached is a picture of the visit to Prisons in Mumbai, State of Maharashtra by the High Commissioner, Ambassador Saidu Dahiru Muhammad and some Members some Mission’s diplomatic staff.

EE Reporter

As a continuation of the implementation of the federal government ‘s foreign policy of citizen-centred diplomacy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Mission plans to embark on consular visits across other provinces to check on the welfare of Nigerian inmates and report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accordingly.NIDCOM hereby reiterates its warning to Nigerians abroad to always obey the law of their host countries and avoid any form of illegality.

E-Signed
Abdur-Rahman Balogun
Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols NiDCOM, Abuja.
Eereporter.com

NAF Delegation Attends El Alamein International Airshow 2026, Aviation Cooperation and Capacity Moderation

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) participated in the El Alamein International Airshow 2026, held from 7–10 September 2026 in El Alamein, Egypt, as part of efforts to strengthen international partnerships and explore opportunities for capability development in line with the Service’s operational requirements.
Eereporter.com

The Nigerian delegation was led by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Yaro Abdullahi, who represented the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke.

Also in the delegation was the representative of the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshal John Laoye. During the event, the delegation engaged senior Egyptian military authorities, including the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Air Force, Major General Gamal Salah Abu Taleb, with discussions focused on strengthening the longstanding Nigeria-Egypt defence relationship and identifying practical areas for enhanced aviation cooperation.

The delegation also engaged international aviation, aerospace and defence industry stakeholders, gaining insights into emerging technologies, aircraft platforms, sustainment solutions and other capabilities relevant to military aviation.

These engagements further provided a platform for interaction with air forces, defence establishments and industry leaders from across the world, while reinforcing opportunities for strategic partnerships and technology-driven capability development.

El Alamein

The NAF’s participation in the airshow is consistent with a key driver of the Chief of the Air Staff’s Command Philosophy to modernise the NAF Order of Battle for effective and decisive airpower delivery.

Through sustained engagement with credible international partners and the global aviation industry, the Service continues to explore opportunities to enhance operational capabilities, strengthen local capacity and adopt technologies required to meet evolving national security demands.
Eereporter.com

AAAF Strengthens Continental Cooperation as Nigeria Advances Transformation of African Air Force

The Association of African Air Forces (AAAF), under the chairmanship of the Chief of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has advanced its institutional development and strategic direction following a high-level Planning Conference held from 31 August to 4 September 2026 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Eereporter.com

Hosted by USAFE-AFAFRICA, the conference brought together members of the AAAF Permanent Secretariat, AAAFEX 2027 planners, Liaison Officers, working-group representatives and subject-matter experts, including representatives of the System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces (SICOFAA).

The conference focused on translating the outcomes of the 2026 African Air Chiefs’ Symposium in Tunisia into practical initiatives, while advancing the AAAF Procedures Manual, Strategic Plan 2027–2034 and roadmap towards AAAFEX 2029.

Key priorities included institutional continuity, strategic communication and stakeholder engagement. In a significant development, Squadron Leader O Lawal of the Nigerian Air Force Directorate of Public Relations and Information was appointed Public Affairs Officer of the AAAF Permanent Secretariat, further reinforcing Nigeria’s contribution to the Association’s institutional development and strategic communication efforts.

The appointment is expected to enhance the Association’s visibility, strategic messaging and engagement with member Air Forces, governments, partners and other stakeholders across the continent. The conference also provided an opportunity to draw lessons from SICOFAA on multilateral air force cooperation and identify practices adaptable to the African context.

AAAF

Its outcomes are expected to provide a stronger foundation for implementing AACS decisions, improving institutional coordination and advancing cooperation among African Air Forces. The development further underscores Nigeria’s continued leadership, through the Nigerian Air Force and the chairmanship of Air Marshal Aneke, in building a stronger and more coordinated African airpower community capable of developing African-led responses to shared security challenges.
Eereporter.com