Tinubu Seeks Senate Approval To Bring Nigerians Convicted Abroad Back Home To Serve Sentences

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a bill to the Senate seeking to empower the Federal Government to enter into agreements with foreign countries to allow Nigerian citizens convicted abroad to serve their sentences in Nigeria, subject to the terms of relevant agreements.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Act of 2004, providing a broader legal framework for the transfer of prisoners between Nigeria and other countries.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read Tinubu’s letter transmitting the bill during Tuesday’s plenary session. The proposed amendment is designed to enable Nigeria to repatriate citizens convicted in foreign jurisdictions while also responding to reciprocal requests from other countries under mutually agreed conditions.

In the letter, Tinubu explained that the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Amendment Bill 2026 seeks to amend the existing law to give effect to agreements between the Federal Government and the governments of other countries on the transfer of convicted offenders.

The proposed law would also empower the President to extend its application to countries with which Nigeria establishes formal prisoner-transfer agreements through an order published in the Federal Gazette. This would potentially broaden the scope of existing arrangements beyond those involving Commonwealth countries.

Following the presentation of the bill, Akpabio referred it to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.

The proposal comes amid several high-profile cases involving Nigerians convicted of offences in foreign countries. They include former Delta State Governor James Ibori, who served a prison sentence in the United Kingdom following his conviction in a money-laundering case, and former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who was convicted in the UK in 2023.

Another case is that of Abidemi Rufai, a former political aide in Ogun State, who was sentenced in the United States in 2022 over wire fraud.

Nigeria and the United Kingdom already have a prisoner-transfer arrangement, but the proposed amendment seeks to establish a wider legal framework that could support similar agreements with non-Commonwealth countries.

However, the bill would not guarantee the automatic return of every Nigerian convicted abroad. Any transfer would depend on the specific provisions, eligibility requirements and conditions contained in the relevant agreement between Nigeria and the foreign country concerned.