BREAKING: Nigeria signs UK deal to receive deported failed asylum seekers, criminals
Nigeria has signed a new agreement with the United Kingdom to facilitate the return of failed asylum seekers, visa overstayers, and convicted offenders, strengthening bilateral cooperation on migration control.
The deal was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to the UK, the Home Office announced on Thursday.
Under the agreement, the UK will be able to return thousands of individuals with no legal right to remain in the country, including failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders. It also covers visa overstayers and introduces administrative measures to ease the deportation process.
A key provision allows Nigeria, for the first time, to accept “UK letters”—identification documents issued to individuals without valid passports—in place of standard travel documents, removing a major bureaucratic obstacle that previously delayed returns.
UK Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said Nigeria is a “key partner in tackling illegal migration” and highlighted its status as the UK’s largest African visa market. He added, “Anyone who abuses our system, breaks our laws or attempts to circumvent immigration rules will be removed.”
“We are totally committed to being a responsible country in fulfilling our core obligations. To sustain that relationship, we must be as open and as fair as possible,” Tunji-Ojo said, emphasising Nigeria’s commitment to international obligations.
The agreement also includes plans for joint operations and intelligence sharing to combat organised immigration crime, including visa fraud, sham marriages, and forged financial records. Nigeria is expected to review its legal framework to strengthen penalties for immigration-related offences.
The new partnership comes amid previous UK migration initiatives, including the controversial 2022 agreement with Rwanda, and aims to accelerate deportations while targeting online and organised fraud schemes through coordinated enforcement and a new intelligence-sharing model.
