UNITED KINGDOM: Nigeria has signed an agreement with the United Kingdom to facilitate the seamless deportation of thousands of asylum seekers and criminals.
The agreement was signed by Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, and Shabana Mahmood, home secretary, during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the UK, the Home Office announced on Thursday.
The deal will also allow Britain to send visa overstayers back home, and it comes with wide flexibility for the UK.
“It also provides detailed arrangements for the dignified return and reintegration of NIGERIANS who do not have the legal right to remain in the UK,” Tunji-Ojo said in a statement.
Under the agreement, the Nigerian government will, for the first time, accept UK-issued letters, an alternative identification certificate issued to individuals without valid passports, to facilitate their return.
Nigeria had previously used emergency travel documents as supplementary IDs for undocumented travellers.
The Home Office said Nigeria’s willingness to accept UK letters as an alternative removes one of the major administrative hurdles to returning individuals to their countries.
The start date and duration of the deal were not specified. It is also unclear if there will be any financial incentives.
According to the Daily Mail, 961 Nigerian failed asylum seekers in the UK have exhausted their rights of appeal.
There are also 1,110 foreign national offenders from Nigeria, who the Home Office is waiting to deport.
Both groups are now more likely to be kicked out speedily.
Tunji-Ojo said Nigeria’s acceptance of the deal shows that “we are totally committed to being a responsible country in fulfilling our core obligations”.
“And for us to sustain that relationship, we must remember: ‘He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.’ So, we need to be as open and as fair as possible,” the minister said.
Alex Norris, UK minister for border security and asylum, said Nigeria is a key partner in tackling illegal migration as the UK’s largest African visa market.
“We owe everyone across the system fairness,” Norris said, adding that “anyone who abuses our systems, breaks our laws or tries to cheat their way into Britain will be stopped and removed”.
The Home Office did not specify whether the deportees to Nigeria will include other nationalities or be restricted to Nigerians.
OTHER AGREEMENTS
A further agreement to launch joint operations and share information on criminal gangs abusing visa routes was also reached, the Home Office added.
The deal was prompted by a string of high‑profile cases involving fake job sponsorships, sham marriages, and forged financial or employment records.
Nigeria is also set to review its laws to tackle immigration crime, ensuring the toughest possible sentences are handed down to offenders.
The Home Office noted that a new partnership targeting online scammers involved in romance fraud, investment scams and cryptocurrency schemes would also deliver stronger protections for the UK public.
The new “fusion cell” model will bring together public‑sector bodies, banks, tech firms, and communications companies to rapidly share intelligence on criminal tactics, enabling swift action.
The Cable
