Nigeria has signed a new agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) that will allow Britain to deport thousands of failed asylum seekers, criminals, and visa overstayers to the West African nation.
The pact was signed by the Nigerian Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, during President Bola Tinubu’s two-day state visit to the UK, the Home Office announced on Thursday.
Under the agreement, Nigeria will, for the first time, accept UK letters as alternative identification for undocumented deportees. These letters are issued to individuals without valid passports to support their return to their home countries.
Previously, Nigeria relied on emergency travel documents as supplementary identification.
The Home Office said Nigeria’s acceptance of UK letters “removes one of the major administrative hurdles to returning individuals to their countries.” The start date and duration of the deal, as well as any financial arrangements, were not disclosed.
In 2022, the UK signed a similar arrangement with Rwanda, agreeing to pay at least £370 million to the East African nation to relocate asylum seekers. However, that deal later fell through after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it as “dead.”
Currently, there are 961 Nigerian failed asylum seekers who have exhausted their appeal rights, according to Daily Mail. In addition, there are 1,110 foreign national offenders from Nigeria awaiting deportation. Both groups are now more likely to be removed promptly.
Commenting on the agreement, Tunji-Ojo said, “Our signing of this 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.”
UK Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, described Nigeria as “a key partner in tackling illegal migration” and the UK’s largest African visa market.
He added, “We owe everyone across the system fairness. Anyone who abuses our systems, breaks our laws, or tries to cheat their way into Britain will be stopped and removed.”
The agreement also includes joint operations and intelligence sharing to tackle criminal gangs exploiting visa routes. The Home Office highlighted that the deal was prompted by high-profile cases involving fake job sponsorships, sham marriages, and forged financial or employment records.
Nigeria is expected to review its laws on immigration crime to ensure tougher penalties for offenders. The Home Office noted that a new partnership targeting online scams—including romance fraud, investment scams, and cryptocurrency schemes—will provide stronger protections for the UK public.
The new “fusion cell” model will bring together public-sector agencies, banks, tech firms, and communication companies to rapidly share intelligence on criminal tactics and take swift action.
