[caption id="attachment_208434" align="alignright" width="320"]
Nweze Raymond Chinenyeuba[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Nov. 16: The Nagaland home department received clearance from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Nov. 12 for deportation of the Nigerian national, Nweze Raymond Chinenyeuba to his native country, who has been confined to Dimapur jail since Sep. 7, 2016.
Consequently, the Nagaland Home Commissioner Ramaiah Ramakrishnan met the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Nigerian embassy on Nov. 15 to discuss for early deportation of the Nigerian.
Upon meeting the officials of the Nigerian embassy in New Delhi, the Nigerian High Commissioner, Chris Eze signed an Emergency Travelling Certificate (ETC) for Chinenyeuba in which it was mentioned that the certificate is valid only for the journey to Nigeria which should be surrendered to the Immigration Officer at the place of arrival. The certificate also mentioned that it is valid only for 30 days from the date of being issued.
It must be mentioned that a Dimapur-based citizen, S Solomon Shaikh, was fully involved in this pursuit for justice from the day he met the Nigerian national inside a jail in Dimapur. As mentioned in the earlier edition, it was in Dimapur sub-jail that Shaikh came to know of Chinenyeuba’s predicament.
Consequently, Shaikh moved representations before the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs seeking for Chinenyeuba’s deportation order. Receiving no response from the central government, Shaikh moved a habeas corpus petition on behalf of Chinenyeuba before the Supreme Court on Sep. 6 seeking his immediate release from detention, and deportation to Nigeria.
Considering the petition, the Supreme Court on Sep. 20 directed the MHA and MEA to consider the request for release and deportation of Chinenyeuba within a period of four weeks.
However, it was only after seven weeks the Nagaland Home Department received the clearance from the MHA on Nov. 12, following which the Nagaland Home Commissioner met with the officials of the Nigerian embassy on Thursday, who provided the ETC for Raymond with a validity of 30 days.
On Friday, a day after Ramaiah met with the officials of Nigerian embassy, Shaikh tweeted: “Home Commissioner Nagaland Mr. Ramaiah met the Nigerian Ambassador on 15.11.18 and has duly processed all the documents under his supervision. Mr. Ramaiah doing the utmost to see to it that Raymond, a reverend reaches his home. Few days left.” Later in the evening Shaikh tweeted again: “Finally this Nigerian reverend Raymond is going home. ‘Emergency Transit’ issued by Nigerian Embassy today.”
Shaikh also approached Tovihoto Ayemi, the advisor to Nagaland Power department asking him to pay the cost of flight for Chinenyeuba as the Nigerian did not have money. Shaikh said that he used to discuss about Chinenyeuba’s plight with Ayemi quite often and confided the problem Chinenyeuba is likely to face to reach his country as he doesn’t have a penny with him.
“In a goodwill gesture, advisor to Nagaland power department Tovihoto Ayemi agreed to bear the airfare for Chinenyeuba to return to his country. The Nigerian does not have money,” a grateful Shaikh tweeted on Nov. 15.
Chinenyeuba was apprehended from new field police check gate in Dimapur on Sep. 7, 2016 while arriving from Guwahati by a night super bus.
According to the charge sheet filed by the court of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM), the police found during examination of travel documents, that Chinenyeuba was not possessing valid visa except a photocopy of passport. So, the CJM sentenced him to simple imprisonment of eight months and 17 days for contravention of Foreigners Act, 1946.
Chinenyeuba completed his prison term on May 25, 2017, and a Dimapur local court subsequently ordered his release but he has been confined in jail for the last 17 months as the Nagaland Home Department was awaiting a deportation order from the centre.
