The Nagaland home department received clearance from the home ministry on Monday for deportation of Nigerian national Nweze Raymond Chinenyeuba, who is lodged in a jail here for the past 17 months.

Sources said on Thursday that Nagaland home commissioner Ramaiah Ramakrishnan, who left for New Delhi on Tuesday, met officials of the external affairs ministry and the Nigerian embassy for early deportation of Raymond.

Adviser to the power department, Tovihoto Ayemi, agreed to bear the airfare for Raymond to return to his country after the Nigerian embassy expressed its inability to pay, sources said. Ayemi agreed to pay for the ticket after S. Solomon Shaikh, the petitioner for the Nigerian, approached him to arrange the money. Earlier, Shaikh approached the home and the external affairs ministries seeking Raymond’s deportation. He also filed a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court on Raymond’s behalf on September 6, demanding his release and deportation.

The apex court on September 20 directed the home and external affairs ministries to consider his release and deportation within four weeks.

Raymond was apprehended by police at a checkgate here on September 7, 2016, for not possessing a valid visa.

The Dimapur chief judicial magistrate sentenced him to simple imprisonment of eight months and 17 days for contravention of the Foreigners Act, 1946, after examining the chargesheet filed by the police.

Raymond, who has been lodged in Dimapur sub-jail, completed his prison term on May 25, 2017. The CJM court then ordered his release. However, he has been confined as the home department was awaiting the deportation order from the Centre.