Tinubu Seeks Senate Approval to Bring Nigerians Convicted Abroad Back Home
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a bill to the Senate seeking to amend Nigeria’s existing law to enable the country to enter into agreements with foreign governments for the transfer of Nigerian citizens convicted of crimes abroad to serve their sentences at home.
The proposed Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Amendment Bill, 2026, is intended to strengthen the legal framework governing the transfer of convicted persons between Nigeria and other countries.
In a letter presented during Senate plenary on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Tinubu explained that the amendment would allow the Federal Government to implement prisoner-transfer agreements with countries beyond the Commonwealth.
The proposed legislation would also enable Nigeria to respond to similar requests from foreign governments seeking to transfer their citizens convicted by Nigerian courts, subject to the terms of the relevant agreements.
Under the proposal, the President would have the authority to extend the application of the law to countries with which Nigeria has concluded transfer agreements through an order published in the Federal Gazette.
Following the presentation of the presidential letter, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
The proposed amendment comes amid cases involving Nigerians who have been convicted and imprisoned in foreign countries.
Among them is former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who received a prison sentence in the United Kingdom in 2023 for his role in an organ-trafficking conspiracy. Former Delta State Governor James Ibori and former Ogun State government aide Abidemi Rufai have also served prison sentences abroad for criminal offences.
Nigeria already has arrangements with the United Kingdom that allow eligible prisoners to serve their sentences in their home country under agreed conditions. The proposed amendment seeks to broaden the legal framework for similar arrangements with countries outside the Commonwealth.
However, the bill does not mean that every Nigerian convicted abroad would automatically qualify for transfer to Nigeria. Any transfer would depend on the applicable agreement, eligibility requirements and the consent of the countries involved.
The proposal must undergo the required legislative process before it can become law.
