Recent reports emerging on Saturday have highlighted a distressing wave of abuse claims from Nigerian students in India.
Several students studying in major educational hubs have come forward with harrowing accounts of alleged physical assault, racial profiling, and systemic discrimination.
The emergence of this report coincides with the crackdown on drug trafficking by Indian authorities.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that in 2024, Indian agencies apprehended about 660 foreign nationals for drug-related crimes.
No fewer than 106 of the suspects were reported to be Nigerians, the second highest. Nepal was first on the list with 203 nationals.
Also, 2,356 Nigerians were deported by India between 2019 and 2024, with removals quadrupling from 339 in 2021 to 1,470 in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the latest distressing call from Nigerian students in India has revealed accounts of people who live in constant fear for their lives.
According to recent testimonials, the situation for many Nigerian students in India has reached a breaking point.
Students describe being targeted in local neighborhoods following minor disputes, which they claim often escalate into mob violence fueled by racial prejudice.
In one reported incident, a group of students was allegedly cornered in a residential complex and subjected to verbal and physical abuse by a crowd of locals.
Also, the National Association of Nigerian Students recently staged a peaceful protest at the Indian High Commission in Abuja over what it described as “alarming reports” of inhumane treatment of Nigerian students in India.
NANS issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government for urgent diplomatic engagement, warning that it would escalate advocacy actions nationwide if the issues were not addressed.
Speaking with journalists during the demonstration, the NANS Vice President (Special Duties), Abubakar Mallawa, decried the alleged ill-treatment of Nigerians, adding that the association had received multiple distress reports from students in Indian cities, particularly Mumbai, over visa challenges, discriminatory practices, and systematic profiling.
Also, speaking on the matter to the press, Education Coordinator of the Association of African Students in India, Rajasthan chapter, Abisola Williams, said Nigerians were going through tough times in India.
Williams also admitted that Nigerian students were seriously affected by regularisation challenges.
The third-year physiotherapy student explained that India does not grant permanent residency to international students.
“It’s either you’re a student or a professional with a work visa. As for Nigerians, we have to renew our visas every year, as students or professionals,” she said.
Another Nigerian student in Delhi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that Nigerians were required to pay 10,000 rupees (about N146,000) every three months to renew their visas, a fee she claimed is lower for students from other African countries.
“Other students from other African countries do not pay for it. We were told it was an agreement between the Indian and Nigerian governments for students to pay every three months. I know Zimbabweans who are not paying to renew visas, while Ghanaians pay a maximum of 500 rupees, which is about N8,000. This is just unfair. That’s the cross Nigerians bear to regularise their stay in India. They don’t give us enough time to raise the money. But for other nationals like Zimbabweans, they get about eight months before their next visa expires,” the student said.
“When my visa was about to expire, I went to renew it, but was surprised to learn it was 10,000 rupees. After that, the police came looking for me because I had not renewed my visa.
“I have seen male students who were bullied and harassed because of this. They don’t believe we live by the rules. Anything that goes wrong is attributed to Nigerians, and it’s unfair.
“There are people who have faced serious injustice at the hands of these officers. Some were taken to deportation camps. I knew someone who was deported to Nigeria for this,” she said.
Following the public outcry, the Nigerian government has reacted to the allegations.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) stated that the agency hasn’t received any formal complaints regarding visa concerns affecting Nigerians, stressing that the Federal Government could not interfere in the immigration policies of other countries.
The Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit at NIDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun made this known on Saturday.
“No, I am not aware. Apart from you, who raised the matter, students have not complained about that to us,” Balogun said.
He explained that Nigeria’s role in such matters was limited within the framework of international diplomacy, noting that sovereign nations retained the right to determine their visa regulations.
“The only thing Nigeria can do is what they call reciprocity. That’s all. In international diplomacy, you cannot beg them to reduce visa fees,” he added.
