Nigeria and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening cooperation on migration management, justice reform, and tackling serious and organised crime. This follows the successful conclusion of the 2025 Nigeria–United Kingdom Migration, Justice, and Home Affairs (MJHA) Dialogue held on Tuesday, October 8, in Abuja.
The meeting, co-chaired by senior officials from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UK Home Office, built on progress made at the previous Dialogue hosted in London in March 2024. Both sides reached new agreements aimed at promoting lawful migration, enhancing extradition and prisoner transfer processes, and strengthening joint action against human trafficking, illicit finance, and organised criminal networks.
Under the first two pillars of the Dialogue, Nigeria and the UK reaffirmed their operational partnership on the safe and dignified return of individuals with no legal right to remain in each other’s territories. The two countries agreed to deepen collaboration under the 2022 Migration Returns Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The UK also briefed Nigeria on its ongoing efforts to streamline visa application processes through the introduction of electronic visas (e-visas) and simplified procedures for business visitors. In turn, Nigeria shared progress on its own e-visa development initiative. Both countries pledged to ensure migrants entering through regular routes are aware of their rights and obligations under respective national laws.
The Dialogue also focused on curbing visa abuse and irregular migration. Nigeria and the UK committed to developing and signing a new MoU on Organised Immigration Crime, building on 2024 agreements. The UK pledged to expand capacity-building programmes for Nigerian officers working in immigration crime units to strengthen border management and prosecution cooperation.
In a landmark step, both countries agreed to collaborate on developing a Nigerian Strategic Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) Threat Analysis — the first of its kind in West Africa. The initiative will help both nations share criminal threat data and develop coordinated strategies under the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC).
The UK also formally handed over the Brighter Futures Prevent Programme to Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser. The programme aims to steer at-risk youths away from organised crime by offering resilience-building and positive alternatives. Nigeria committed to sustaining and expanding the initiative across federal and state levels and appealed for continued UK support beyond March 2026.
Advancing Extradition and Prisoner Transfer
Nigeria and the UK pledged to streamline extradition processes and strengthen mutual legal assistance to prevent criminals from evading justice. The two sides also agreed to share information on prison conditions in Nigeria to meet UK court standards for extradition cases.
On prisoner transfers, both governments agreed to continue implementing the Prisoner Transfer Agreement, with Nigeria proposing a review to align it with the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019. The working forum under the extradition pillar will oversee clarifications on detention conditions and transfer timelines.
Combating Human Trafficking and Illicit Finance
The Dialogue also produced new commitments to develop an MoU on Human Trafficking and enhance cooperation on combating illicit commodities trafficking, particularly in the maritime domain. Both sides agreed to sustain joint efforts among customs, naval, and anti-narcotics agencies to tackle cross-border crime.
In tackling illicit finance, the UK reaffirmed support for Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen financial crime investigations, develop public–private partnerships, and address vulnerabilities in money laundering and terrorist financing. The two nations also committed to global advocacy for reforms in international financial systems to curb kleptocracy and protect development funds.
Both countries reaffirmed their determination to deliver on all agreed priorities and to jointly monitor progress ahead of the next annual Dialogue, which will be hosted in the United Kingdom in 2026.
The Abuja meeting was co-chaired by Ambassador Asari E. Allotey for Nigeria and Ambassador Asim Hafeez for the United Kingdom.