Proposed 2026 amendment seeks to expand prisoner-transfer agreements beyond Commonwealth countries
President Bola Tinubu has asked the Nigerian Senate to amend the country’s prisoner-transfer law to enable eligible Nigerians convicted and imprisoned abroad to serve their sentences in Nigeria under agreements with foreign governments.
The proposed Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Amendment Bill 2026 seeks to amend the existing law, Cap 216, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to broaden the legal framework governing the transfer of convicted Nigerians from foreign prisons to correctional facilities at home.
The President’s request was conveyed in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday.
Following the reading of the letter, Akpabio referred the proposed legislation to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
If passed, the amendment would provide a framework for Nigeria to establish prisoner-transfer agreements with additional countries, including nations outside the Commonwealth, potentially expanding the options available to eligible Nigerians serving prison sentences overseas.
Nigeria already has a prisoner-transfer arrangement with the United Kingdom. However, the proposed amendment is intended to widen the legal basis for negotiating similar arrangements with other foreign governments.
The proposal comes amid prominent cases involving Nigerians convicted and imprisoned abroad, including former Delta State Governor James Ibori, former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Abidemi Rufai, a former aide to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Their cases have drawn public attention to the legal and diplomatic complexities surrounding Nigerians serving prison sentences in foreign jurisdictions.
However, the proposed amendment would not automatically entitle every Nigerian convicted abroad to return home to complete a sentence. Any transfer would depend on the applicable law, the terms of the relevant agreement, the eligibility of the prisoner and the approval procedures required by the countries involved.
The proposed legislation therefore represents a potential expansion of Nigeria’s prisoner-transfer framework rather than a blanket arrangement for the repatriation of all Nigerians incarcerated overseas.
The Senate is expected to consider the bill through the legislative process before any amendment can become law.
