Every time the debate about demographic change and deportations rages in India, it is invariably centred on Bangladeshis and Rohingyas.

By the Narendra Modi government’s own admission in 2016, there were around two crore Bangladeshis illegally living in India. The actual figure is likely to be much higher. The Rohingya population has swollen from about 40,000 to a few lakhs.

The Modi government and the BJP as a party have been unwaveringly vocal about this demographic takeover.

Which is why the Ministry of Home Affairs data on deportations, which were reported about in the media last week, seem somewhat odd.

It shows Nigerians have topped the list of deportees from India since 2017. In the financial year 2024, Nigerians accounted for a surprising 63 per cent of total deportations, a rise from 41 per cent in FY 2021. Of the 2,331 people India deported in the previous financial year, 1,470 were from Nigeria, 411 were from Bangladesh, and 78 were from Uganda.

Only about two lakh Nigerians live and work in........

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