KATHMANDU: Two Nigerian inmates who escaped from a Nepalese prison during recent anti-government protests have been rearrested while attempting to flee into India.
According to Press Trust of India, the duo was apprehended on Saturday by operatives of India’s paramilitary, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), at Jainagar in Bihar State, near the India-Nepal border.
The Nigerians were reportedly among dozens of foreign nationals and locals who broke free from detention facilities in Nepal after violent demonstrations rocked the Himalayan nation in recent weeks.
Security officials disclosed that more than 79 escapees, including several foreigners, have been tracked down and recaptured in India’s border states.
These people have been caught from the border over the last three to four days after they escaped from various jails following the massive anti-government protests in Nepal, a security source said.
The India-Nepal border, stretching 1,751 kilometres across 20 districts in five states, remains largely unfenced, making surveillance a challenge. Authorities say intensified operations are ongoing to apprehend other fugitives.
The arrest of the two Nigerians once again highlights the recurring involvement of some Nigerian nationals in cross-border crimes across Asia, a trend that has drawn scrutiny from both Indian and Nigerian authorities.
Only last month, Indian police in Kozhikode, Kerala, arrested eight Nigerians alleged to be part of a major drug trafficking syndicate.
Working with squads from Delhi and Haryana, the police uncovered a synthetic drug production hub in Gurugram. Reports by The Hindu revealed that the suspects played key roles in coordinating the illicit operations.
The Director-General of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has consistently expressed concern over the rising cases of Nigerians implicated in criminal networks abroad, urging nationals to shun illegal activities that tarnish the country’s image.
With Nepal still reeling from unrest and India tightening border security, authorities say the rearrest of the escapees is a warning to others attempting to exploit porous frontiers to evade justice.
