Tinubu sends bill to Senate for transferring convicted Nigerians back home

President Bola Tinubu has sent a bill to the Senate. This bill aims to give the Nigerian government the power to make agreements with other countries. The goal is to allow convicted Nigerian citizens to serve their sentences in Nigeria.

The bill wants to change the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Act from 2004. This change will help move convicted offenders between Nigeria and other countries based on mutual agreements.

Mr Tinubu sent the bill to the Senate in a letter. Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the letter during a session on Tuesday.

In the letter, the president explained that the new law would let the Nigerian government make agreements with other countries. This would allow convicted offenders to be transferred to Nigeria. He also mentioned that it would help Nigeria handle requests from foreign governments, depending on the agreement terms.

“The Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Amendment Bill 2026 seeks to amend the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Act, Act Cap 216, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004, to give effect to the provisions of any scheme or agreement for the transfer of convicted offenders between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the government of any other country,” Mr Tinubu said.

He added that the bill would let the president, through a notice in the Federal Gazette, apply the law to any country that Nigeria has an agreement with. This would help execute agreements with countries outside the Commonwealth.

After Mr Akpabio read the president’s letter, he sent the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business. They will look at it further.

Nigeria has faced several cases of public officials and political figures being convicted in foreign courts. One notable case is former Delta State Governor James Ibori. He received a 13-year prison sentence in the UK in 2012 after admitting to money laundering. He was released in 2016.

Another case is former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu. He was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison in the UK in 2023. This was due to his involvement in an organ-trafficking scheme.

Likewise, Abidemi Rufai, a former aide to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, got five years in prison in the United States in 2022. This was for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Nigeria and the United Kingdom already have an agreement for prisoner transfer. This agreement allows eligible prisoners to serve their sentences in their home countries, following specific conditions agreed by both governments.

The new amendment aims to set up a legal way to implement prisoner transfer agreements with countries outside the Commonwealth. But the proposed law will not automatically allow every Nigerian convicted abroad to return home. Each case will depend on the agreement and its conditions.