NEWS
Mozambique Deports 31 Nigerian Traders After Court-Ordered Release, Sparks Outrage Over Alleged Rights Violations and Disregard for Judicial Authority
The Mozambican government has deported 31 Nigerian traders previously detained, Diaspora Tales reports.
The President of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in Mozambique, Uchenna Nwafor, disclosed this to our correspondent.
Local media reported that the court ordered the release of the 42 Nigerians citing violations of their rights.
The authorities, however, rearrested them and deported 31 of them on Monday and Thursday.
“It has not been easy these last few weeks (for the victims). I just want to tell you that they have embarked on mass deportation of all the detainees. 13 people were deported on Monday and 18 of them left early this Thursday morning,” Nwafor said.
Diaspora Tales had reported that 42 Nigerian traders were arrested on February 28 by the Mozambican authorities at a spare parts market in Maputo, the capital of the country.
They were charged to Maputo City Court without publicly disclosing their crimes but a heavy rainfall stalled their arraignment on March 13, 2026.
Though, the court ruled that they should be released, the Mozambican government chose to deport them.
The remaining 11 in the country continue to face uncertain fate.
An online newspaper, TV Sucesso Moz, on Thursday, said, “The case of Nigerian citizens takes on new horizons and raises serious doubts about respect for court rulings. After a clear release order, they returned to the cells for action by the migration services.”
The report revealed that a legal counsel, Sérgio Matsinhe, accused the country’s National Criminal Investigation Service and the National immigration Service of contempt of judicial order.
“SERNIC has detained Nigerians without a clear process,” he stated.
The newspaper reported that the authorities prevented th
e collection of images.