The Nigerian government has signed an agreement with the United Kingdom to help deport people who failed to get asylum and criminals. This was announced by the UK Home Office on Thursday.
The agreement was made during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to the UK this week. According to the Daily Mail, there are about 961 Nigerian asylum seekers in the UK who have used up all their appeal rights.
This means they have officially been decided not to qualify for refugee status in the UK. 1,110 Nigerian nationals are offenders, and the Home Office is waiting to send them back.
The agreement will also help send back Nigerians who stayed in the UK longer than their visa allowed. A separate statement from the ministry of interior noted that the deportation arrangements would be on a case-by-case identity verification.
The ministry noted that the framework also sets out clear definitions, scope, and areas of cooperation, including information sharing, capacity building, training, and joint research on migration management and border security.
Tunji-Ojo said for Nigeria to sustain the relationship, “we must remember: ‘He who comes to equity must come with clean hands’,” urging fairness and transparency.