Indian authorities deport Nigerian national Victor Obasi after illegal stay and alleged links to drug trafficking following his arrest in Hyderabad

Indian authorities have deported a Nigerian national, Victor Obasi, following his arrest in Hyderabad for overstaying his visa and alleged links to drug trafficking, in a move police said was taken to protect national security.

Also read: Nigerian man deported as India flags visa overstay

Obasi, a resident of New Delhi, was apprehended late last month by officers of the Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing in the Tolichowki area of the city after being intercepted under what police described as suspicious circumstances.

According to the Times of India, Obasi was unable to produce a valid passport or visa during questioning, with investigators establishing that his travel documents had expired several years ago.

Following his arrest, deportation proceedings were initiated in coordination with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Hyderabad and the Nigerian High Commission in New Delhi.

Because his passport was no longer valid, the Nigerian mission issued an Emergency Travel Document, while Indian authorities granted an exit permit to facilitate his removal.

He was subsequently flown to Lagos from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on 13 January 2026.

Police said Obasi first entered India on a tourist visa through Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on 31 December 2011 and later became involved in various business ventures, including cloth exports and operating a restaurant in Delhi.

However, after his visa expired, he continued to reside in the country without legal authorisation.

Investigators said that over time he had come into contact with drug peddlers and individuals suspected of trafficking narcotics, describing his activities as potentially harmful to national security.

“The action was taken to prevent the suspect from engaging in further unlawful activities that could pose a threat to national security,” police said.

The case follows a separate operation in Hyderabad days earlier in which another Nigerian national, Chidi Ezeh, 42, was arrested with 150 grams of MDMA, a synthetic drug, during an intelligence-led raid.

Police allege that Ezeh was part of a wider syndicate supplying drugs across Hyderabad, Bengaluru and other cities, and that he had also overstayed his visa.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing, Vaibhav Gaikwad, said Ezeh would be charged under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, while investigations into the wider network were continuing.

“Incidents like this highlight the sophisticated transnational networks that continue to traffic illicit substances into our cities. Our intelligence-driven operations are aimed at dismantling these networks and preventing further criminal activity,” Gaikwad said.

Also read: Nigerian man, five Thais nabbed over 114m online love scam

Hyderabad police reiterated their commitment to cracking down on illegal residency, drug trafficking and organised crime, urging members of the public to report suspicious activity.