New agreement will allow Nigerians to re-enter UK

The agreement signed by the Nigerian government and the UK Home Office on Thursday allows deported Nigerians to re-enter the UK in the future, according to Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior.

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It also said the agreement ensures the deportees are treated with dignity and that their rights are preserved under the Nigerian law.

“The deal guarantees that returnees will be treated with dignity, rights retention under domestic law, and may re-enter in the future if they meet the applicable immigration requirements,” the ministry said in a statement.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the deal, which allows Nigerians without valid documentation to be in the UK, will now be easily deported home, was signed during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the UK.

The agreement means that the Nigerian government will now 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.

Thousands of Nigerians live and work legally in the UK. However, many also overstay their visas and are thus considered to be in the UK illegally.

Some have also been convicted of crimes and asked to leave the UK, while there are also many whose asylum request was denied.

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The latest agreement will make it easier to return the last three categories to Nigeria.

In a post on X on Friday, the Ministry of Interior noted that the deal provides “detailed arrangements” for the “dignified return” of undocumented Nigerians in the UK.

“This arrangement includes: the use of secured travel documentation, case-by-case identity verification, and safeguards for vulnerable individuals and potential victims of trafficking.

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“This 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,” it said.

Meanwhile, in a bid to clarify misconceptions about the policy, Temitope Ajayi, a senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, reiterated that the agreement applies only to Nigerian nationals.

He said the Nigerian government will not accept deportees from other countries of origin.

“The Nigerian government is not taking back non-Nigerians. The UK government is not compelling Nigeria to take those who are not our citizens,” he said. “This clarification becomes necessary because of those who have already revved up their misinformation machinery.”