Only 3,500 out of 10,000 Nigerians in India are registered with their High Commission

New Delhi: After the murder of a Nigerian in Goa sparked violence and protests, a diplomatic row has erupted with Nigerian diplomats threatening forcible eviction of one million Indians living in Nigeria in a tit-for-tat revenge. But the fact remains that a large number of Nigerians are residing in India either legally or illegally.According to January 2012 reports, Nigerians in India form one of the largest African communities in the country. There are about 10,000 Nigerians living and working in India but only 3,500 were registered with the Nigerian High Commission and they live in cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Jaipur.The number may go up if surveys are done to check their population as of November 2013. It is anticipated that there are more than 2,500 Nigerians residing in the national capital Delhi and 3,000 in Bangalore, with other 4,000 spread across the rest of the country. The main point here which will be notable is that neither the police nor the Nigerian High Commission has information of the number of Nigerians at present residing in India. One may come across many Nigerian nationals living in several colonies like Munirka, Uttam Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar of Delhi.By the night, many low scale discotheques in Delhi are packed with Nigerians. Some Nigerians have an off-putting public image in Indian society. This is owing to the fact that they involve themselves in illegal activities in India such as drug trafficking, fraud, Internet scam, identity fraud, cyber-crimes, job scams and forgery of travel documents, such as passports and visas. There are also more than 500 known Nigerians in various jails across India.The All India Nigerian Students and Community Association (AINSCA), a non-official arm of the Nigerian embassy helps members of the community living in India.It cooperates proactively with Delhi police to rip off devious Nigerian elements in the community.There is nothing bad if they reside in India, but the Nigerian High Commission and the Indian police must have records of each and every Nigerian national for their own safety.