The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has announced that the Federal Government is prepared to welcome Nigerians deported from the United States.
Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Director of Media and Corporate Affairs for NiDCOM, made this statement to Vanguard on Tuesday evening, January 28. He noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for handling such situations.
Balogun also revealed that the Federal Government has established an inter-agency committee to address the issue if a large number of Nigerians are deported from the US. “The Federal Government has set up an inter-agency committee, which includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), in case of mass deportations from the US,” he said.
However, Balogun clarified that NiDCOM was not currently aware of any Nigerians in the US being actively processed for deportation.
Approximately 3,690 Nigerians in the US are facing deportation due to a crackdown on illegal immigration under the Trump administration. A list released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in November 2024 indicated that 3,690 Nigerians were on track for deportation, with expectations that this number could rise under Trump’s leadership.
