Nigeria and the United Kingdom have finalized a series of new agreements covering deportations, criminal justice cooperation, and the fight against financial crime, marking a significant deepening of bilateral security ties. The deals were reached at the 2025 Migration, Justice, and Home Affairs Dialogue held in Abuja this week.
The details were contained in a joint communiqué released to journalists on Friday, which was signed by Ambassador Asari Allotey for Nigeria and Ambassador Asim Hafeez for the UK.
Deportation and Migration Management
A core outcome of the Dialogue was the reaffirmation of commitments regarding the return of individuals without legal status in either country. Officials praised the ongoing cooperation under the 2022 Migration Returns Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The UK delegation emphasized the importance of this area, stating in the communiqué that “Returning those that no longer have a legal right to remain in the UK is a top priority for the UK Government.”
Both nations agreed to “continue deepening this partnership to ensure safe, dignified and respectful processes” and committed to developing a new MoU specifically targeting Organised Immigration Crime.
The UK also pledged to expand training for Nigerian immigration officers to “enable wider coverage and cascading of knowledge for enhanced responsiveness.”
New Fronts Against Organized Crime
The agreements extend cooperation across several crime fronts:
Serious Organised Crime: The countries agreed to collaborate on a Strategic Serious Organised Crime Threat Analysis, which the communiqué noted would be “the first of its kind in West Africa and demonstrates the solid commitment between the two countries on combating serious organised crime.” Extradition and Justice: To tackle impunity, both sides agreed to “create smoother and faster processes to ensure that criminals do not enjoy impunity from justice in either jurisdiction.” The UK committed to sharing information with its courts on Nigeria’s prison detention conditions. Financial Crime: The UK reaffirmed support for Nigeria’s fight against illicit finance, backing a new Public-Private Partnership and committing to “working together to lead efforts towards a more coordinated global approach to countering illicit financial flows.” Human Trafficking: Both countries agreed to develop a new MoU specifically targeting human trafficking and to “strengthen inter-agency cooperation on commodities trafficking, particularly in the maritime domain.”
The next annual Dialogue is scheduled to be held in the UK in 2026.
