Bola Tinubu-led government has officially agreed to a new deportation deal with the United Kingdom (UK), allowing Britain to return thousands of failed asylum seekers, visa overstayers, and criminals to the West African nation.
In a report by TheCable, the agreement, signed by Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood during President Bola Tinubu’s two-day state visit to the UK, marks a significant step in Nigeria’s role in global migration management.
For the first time, the Nigerian government will accept “UK letters”—alternative identification certificates issued to individuals without valid passports which removes a major hurdle in deporting undocumented individuals
Previously, Nigeria relied on emergency travel documents for such cases.
Tunji-Ojo described Nigeria’s participation in the deal as a demonstration of the country’s commitment to fulfilling its international obligations.
“We are totally committed to being a responsible country in fulfilling our core obligations,” he said. “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.”
Currently, there are 961 Nigerian failed asylum seekers in the UK who have exhausted their rights of appeal, along with 1,110 Nigerian foreign national offenders awaiting deportation
Under the new agreement, both groups are expected to be returned to Nigeria more efficiently.
The deal also paves the way for joint operations to target criminal gangs exploiting visa routes, and Nigeria has committed to reviewing its immigration laws to ensure the toughest possible sentences are handed down to offenders.
Authorities will focus on combating scams involving fake job sponsorships, sham marriages, and forged documents, while a “fusion cell” model will be used to share intelligence rapidly between government agencies, banks, tech companies, and communications firms.
Nigeria’s willingness to accept UK letters and participate in these operations signals a stronger stance against illegal migration and a closer collaboration with the UK in tackling immigration-related crimes.
