By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to India, Ambassador Saidu Dahiru Muhammad, says the Nigerian mission is strengthening citizen-centred diplomacy through direct engagement with Nigerians facing legal challenges in the country.
Muhammad disclosed this during an interactive session with diplomatic correspondents in New Delhi, where he said he recently visited correctional facilities across India and interacted directly with 198 Nigerian citizens in detention over a three-day period.
The envoy said the visits covered facilities housing 16, more than 70 and over 50 Nigerian inmates, as well as 19 women and girls.
“This is to show that our government is concerned about its citizens. We call it citizen-centred diplomacy,” Muhammad said.
He explained that the detainees raised concerns including alleged maltreatment, racial discrimination, limited access to legal representation, delays in court proceedings and inadequate medical attention.
According to him, the mission subsequently engaged prison authorities on the complaints and discovered that many of the challenges were linked to prolonged investigations and delays in the judicial process rather than the conduct of prison officials.
“We realized that prison officials were generally cooperative, but many detainees are awaiting trial and the judicial process takes time,” he said.
Muhammad stressed that the Nigerian mission would continue to advocate for the rights and welfare of its citizens, regardless of the allegations against them.
He said fundamental human rights must be respected in line with universal principles of fairness.
“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 said the mission submitted a detailed report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the concerns raised during the prison visits, alongside recommendations for addressing them.
He said the report received prompt attention from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who appreciated the mission’s efforts and pledged to escalate the issues to the highest levels of government.
Muhammad said the initiative demonstrated Nigeria’s determination to ensure that its citizens abroad remain connected to their country, even when facing legal difficulties.
“Nigeria remembers them. That is why we are going there,” he said.
The envoy, who has been in office for seven weeks, also disclosed that he had been sending an average of one dispatch weekly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while keeping senior officials abreast of developments concerning Nigerians in India.
He said the mission had also intensified engagement with the Nigerian community, encouraging community leaders and organizations 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 said.
Muhammad, however, acknowledged funding and operational constraints, noting that India’s vast geographical spread and population of more than 1.4 billion people made effective consular outreach challenging.
He said the mission lacked the resources to establish consular offices across the country but remained committed to reaching Nigerians wherever they lived.
“We should have the capacity to go out and reach our people, so they know that we are here for them,” he said.
The High Commissioner reaffirmed the mission’s commitment to serving Nigerians in India and deepening Nigeria-India relations through stronger people-to-people engagement.
