The presidency has clarified that the agreement between Nigeria and the United Kingdom on the return of deportees without legal status does not include foreign nationals.
Under the arrangement, deportees will consist of failed asylum seekers, convicted individuals, and visa overstayers. However, concerns had been raised over whether non-Nigerians would also be included.
In a statement issued on Friday, Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, clarified that the agreement strictly applies to Nigerians without legal permission to reside 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,” Ajayi said.
He explained that the clarification became necessary to address widespread misinformation.
“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,” he added.
Also speaking, Alao Babatunde, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, confirmed that the arrangement is limited to Nigerian citizens.
Babatunde stated that the agreement excludes foreign nationals and applies solely to Nigerians.
As part of the framework, the Nigerian government will, for the first time, accept UK-issued letters — an alternative identification document for individuals without valid passports — to facilitate their return. Previously, Nigeria relied on emergency travel documents as supporting identification for undocumented citizens.
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Interior noted that deportations would be handled on a case-by-case basis, subject to proper identity verification.
The ministry added that the agreement outlines clear terms, scope, and areas of cooperation, including information sharing, capacity building, training, and joint research on migration management and border security.
Tunji-Ojo emphasised the importance of fairness and transparency in sustaining the partnership, stating, “we must remember: ‘He who comes to equity must come with clean hands’.”