Says MoU Does Not Require Nigeria to Accept Non-Nigerian Deportees
The Presidency has dismissed as false and misleading reports suggesting that Nigeria’s new migration partnership with the United Kingdom compels the country to accept foreign nationals who are not Nigerian citizens.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Nigeria and the UK only provides a framework for safe, regulated, and dignified migration, as well as cooperation against irregular migration.
According to the statement, the agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Interior and the UK Secretary of State for the Home Department during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent state visit to the United Kingdom.
The Presidency clarified that nowhere in the 12-page MoU is Nigeria obligated to receive foreign nationals other than verified Nigerian citizens.
It explained that individuals to be repatriated under the arrangement must undergo multiple levels of identification and verification, while any person wrongly returned would be taken back by the requesting country at its own cost.
“The MoU establishes a framework to facilitate a regulated and safe migration flow between the two countries and to encourage further bilateral cooperation in the fight against irregular migration,” the statement said.
Under the agreement, both countries are expected to work together to ensure the dignified return of their nationals who no longer have the legal right to enter or remain in the other’s territory.
The Presidency stressed that returnees must be bona fide nationals of the receiving country and must be treated with dignity, respect, and in line with their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
It further noted that law enforcement agencies in both countries are expected to protect the interests and well-being of citizens involved in migration-related matters and help prevent conflict arising from such issues.
One of the notable provisions of the MoU, according to the State House, is that returnees will be allowed to leave with their legally acquired personal belongings—unlike in previous instances where deported persons reportedly returned with nothing.
The statement cited Article 12 of the MoU, which guarantees every returnee “ample opportunity to make adequate arrangements for the transfer or disposal of his property” in the requesting country.
The Presidency also highlighted legal safeguards for migrants facing removal, noting that any claim made under domestic or international human rights laws must be considered in line with the laws of the relevant country.
Such appeals, it said, may arise where the person has lawfully lived in the requesting country for most of their life and is socially and culturally integrated there, or where the person would face serious difficulties reintegrating into the destination country.
On the return process itself, the statement said Article 9 of the MoU provides for strict identification checks before departure and on arrival, coordinated by officials of both countries.
It added that return may be carried out using a valid passport or, in some cases, through an expedited process involving a UK Letter (UKL), where biometric or other strong evidence confirms nationality.
However, the Presidency emphasised that Nigeria has not surrendered its sovereign right to document returnees.
Citing Article 9(3), the statement said it remains the sole responsibility of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to issue and handle all Nigerian documentation required under domestic law, including the digital acknowledgement of receipt of a UK Letter.
“The UK Letter process is distinct, and the handling of travel documents remains the sole right and responsibility of Nigerian authorities,” the statement added.
The State House also pointed to Article 11, which provides for reintegration support for returnees.
This includes short-term assistance such as airport reception, accommodation, onward transportation, care packs, and small cash support, as well as medium-term services like family reunification support, documentation assistance, counselling, and referrals to local services.
Longer-term support, the statement said, may include access to a Returnee Education and Entrepreneurship Fund, vocational training, further education, business start-up support, and access to legal migration opportunities.
The Presidency noted that the MoU is similar to migration agreements signed between both countries in 2012, 2017, and 2022, and will run for an initial period of five years, renewable for another five years subject to mutual agreement.
It urged media organisations to seek clarification on sensitive policy matters before publication in order to avoid spreading misinformation and misleading the public.
