Asylum agreement: UK deportation applies only to Nigerians – FG

The Presidency has clarified that Nigeria’s recent agreement with the United Kingdom on the return of deportees applies strictly to Nigerian citizens and does not include foreign nationals.

This newspaper reports that the deportees would comprise failed asylum seekers, criminals, and visa overstayers.

In a statement on Friday, Temitope Ajayi, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, noted that the deal only relates to Nigerians who do not possess legal status to reside and remain in the UK.

“Nigerian government is not taking back non-Nigerians. The UK government is not compelling Nigeria to take those who are not our citizens.

“The agreement guarantees that returnees who are citizens of Nigeria will be treated with dignity, rights retention under domestic law, and may re-enter in the future if they meet the applicable immigration requirements,” Ajayi said.

Alao Babatunde, special adviser on media to Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, also confirmed the specificity of the deal.

Babatunde said the agreement would only cover Nigerians, excluding foreign nationals.

Under the agreement, the Nigerian government will, for the first time, accept UK-issued letters, an alternative identification certificate issued to individuals without valid passports, to facilitate their return.

Nigeria had previously used emergency travel documents as supplementary IDs for undocumented citizen travellers.

Tunji-Ojo emphasised the need for fairness and mutual responsibility in sustaining bilateral relations, stating, “We must remember: ‘He who comes to equity must come with clean hands’.”