Nigerian has signed an agreement with the British governments for a deal to receive people with no right to be in the UK, including offenders and failed asylum seekers.
The deal stipulates that the Nigerian government will recognise UK letters – an identification document issued to individuals without a valid passport – so people will no longer have to wait for emergency travel documents to be issued before they can be returned.
The agreement was struck during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the UK.
British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer hailed the Nigerian president’s visit – the first by a leader of a west African nation in 37 years – as “historic”.
Speaking on the deal, Border Security and Asylum Minister, Alex Norris, who signed on behalf of Britain, said: “Nigeria is a key partner in our work to tackle illegal migration, as the UK’s largest African visa market and home to thousands of Nigerians who have built their lives here.
“Anyone who abuses our systems, breaks our laws or tries to cheat their way into Britain will be stopped and removed. Today’s agreement is another step in our mission to restore order to the border by ensuring those who have no right to be here are swiftly removed.
“Nigeria is a key partner in our work to tackle illegal migration, as the UK’s largest African visa market and home to thousands of Nigerians who have built their lives here. We owe everyone across the system fairness.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on his part, said, “For us, as a country, we keep saying that we are totally committed to being a responsible country in fulfilling our core obligations.
“It is good that we are starting this with the UK. This relationship with the UK means a lot to Nigeria. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown great commitment to this.
“So, it is one relationship that we aim to be able to sustain for generations yet to come. 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.
“Hopefully, this strengthened partnership will be a template for other bilateral understandings.
“The agreement marks a shared commitment to safe, fair and well‑managed migration. Annual returns to Nigeria have nearly doubled to 1,150. Returns and deportations of illegal migrants and foreign criminals from the UK have reached nearly 60,000 since the 2024 election.
“A further agreement to launch joint operations and share information has been reached to crack down on criminal gangs abusing visa routes, making sure all arrivals are genuine and ready to contribute.”
Following a series of high‑profile cases involving fake job sponsorships, sham marriages and forged financial or employment records, a new standardised document‑checking system will verify the authenticity of applications. Nigeria will also review its laws to tackle immigration crime, ensuring the toughest possible sentences are handed down to offenders.
Botched deal with Rwanda
The UK and Rwanda had initially signed a deal similar to this but it collapsed after two years,
The UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership was an immigration policy proposed by the governments of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak whereby people whom the United Kingdom identified as illegal immigrants or asylum seekers would have been relocated to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettlement.
Under the deal, those who were successful in claiming asylum would have remained in Rwanda, and they would not have been permitted to return to the United Kingdom. The UK would invest in a development fund for Rwanda and financially support migrants’ relocation and accommodation costs to move to Rwanda.
The first flight for this plan received legal clearance from the High Court of Justice and was scheduled for 14 June 2022. A last-minute interim measure by the European Court of Human Rights led to the plan being halted until the conclusion of the legal action in the UK. At the end of 2022, the High Court further ruled that though the plan was lawful, the individual cases of eight asylum seekers due to be deported that year had to be reconsidered.
The Court of Appeal ruled on 29 June 2023 that the plan was unlawful; with an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom leading to a concurrence with the lower court on 15 November 2023.The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 overruled the courts’ judgments and declared Rwanda a safe country.
After Keir Starmer and the Labour Party won the 2024 general election, Starmer announced that the Rwanda plan would be cancelled and replaced by the Border Security Command.
Rwanda had headed to the court, claiming it was being owed $100 million.
