The Presidency has declared that Nigeria will not accept non-Nigerians under its migration agreement with the United Kingdom, clarifying that the arrangement applies strictly to its citizens.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, disclosed this in a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, in response to what he described as misinformation surrounding the agreement.
Ajayi explained that Nigeria’s new migration deal with the UK, signed during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State Visit to the United Kingdom, involves only the return of Nigerians who do not have the legal right to live and remain in the UK.
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He clarified that British authorities are not compelling Nigeria to receive individuals who are not Nigerians.
“For clarity, it is important to state that the agreement signed by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on behalf of the government of Nigeria, and the UK Home Secretary, Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood, on behalf of the UK government, only relates to Nigerians who do not have legal status to live and remain in the UK,” the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity explained.
He emphasised that the Nigerian government is not taking back non-Nigerians and that the UK is not compelling Nigeria to accept individuals who are not its citizens.
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“Nigeria is not taking back non-Nigerians. The UK government is not compelling Nigeria to take those who are not our citizens,” Ajayi added, noting that the clarification became necessary due to the spread of false narratives.
According to the Senior Special Assistant, the agreement guarantees that Nigerian returnees will be treated with dignity and in accordance with their rights under domestic law.
He further stated that such individuals may re-enter the UK in the future, provided they meet applicable immigration requirements.
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Also speaking on the development, the Ministry of Interior, in a social media post, said the agreement provides a structured framework for the “dignified return and reintegration of Nigerians who do not have the legal right to remain in the UK.”
The ministry listed key components of the arrangement to include the use of secured travel documentation, case-by-case identity verification, and safeguards for vulnerable individuals, including potential victims of trafficking adding that the framework outlines clear areas of cooperation between both countries, such as information sharing, capacity building, training, and joint research on migration management and border security.
It would be recalled that the UK signed a new migration agreement with Nigeria, easing the deportation of visa overstayers, failed asylum seekers, and foreign criminals.
The deal allows Nigerian authorities to recognise ‘UK letters’ as travel documents, removing a key barrier to faster deportations.
UK officials describe the move as part of a wider crackdown on irregular migration and an effort to strengthen border security.
The agreement also boosts cooperation on fighting visa fraud, organised immigration crime, and online scams, with intelligence sharing between both countries.