Tinubu Seeks Senate Approval For Transfer Of Nigerians Convicted Abroad
By NJORIGE LYNUS
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to amend Nigeria’s prisoner-transfer law to enable convicted Nigerian citizens to serve their sentences at home under agreements with foreign governments.
The proposed Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Amendment Bill 2026 seeks to amend the existing 2004 law. It would empower Nigeria to negotiate and implement agreements for transferring convicted offenders between Nigeria and other countries.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s letter during plenary on Tuesday. In the letter, Tinubu said the proposed legislation would allow Nigeria to enter into transfer agreements with foreign governments and honour similar requests from other countries.
According to the president, the bill would give effect to schemes or agreements between the Nigerian government and foreign administrations for transferring convicted offenders.
He also proposed empowering the president to extend the law to any country with which Nigeria has entered into an agreement. The president would exercise that authority through an order published in the Federal Gazette.
Tinubu said the measure would facilitate agreements with countries outside the Commonwealth, thereby providing a legal framework for broader international cooperation on prisoner transfers.
Following the presentation, Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
The proposal comes against the background of several high-profile cases involving Nigerians convicted by foreign courts.
Former Delta State Governor James Ibori, for instance, received a 13-year prison sentence in the United Kingdom in 2012 after pleading guilty to money-laundering offences. He was released in 2016.
Similarly, former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in a UK prison in 2023 for his role in an organ-trafficking conspiracy involving a young man.
In the United States, Abidemi Rufai, a former aide to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, received a five-year prison sentence in 2022 for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Nigeria already has a prisoner-transfer agreement with the United Kingdom. However, transferring an eligible prisoner depends on the applicable conditions and the agreement of both governments.
The proposed amendment seeks to establish a legal framework for implementing similar arrangements with countries outside the Commonwealth.
Nevertheless, the bill would not automatically entitle every Nigerian convicted abroad to return home to serve a sentence. Any transfer would depend on the relevant international agreement and its conditions, alongside the applicable legal requirements.
The Senate committee’s consideration will form part of the legislative process before the proposal can become law.
