President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to amend Nigeria’s existing law on the transfer of convicted offenders, paving the way for eligible Nigerians imprisoned abroad to serve their remaining sentences at home under agreements with foreign governments.
The proposed Transfer of Convicted Offenders (Enactment and Enforcement) Amendment Bill, 2026, seeks to strengthen the legal framework for transferring convicted prisoners between Nigeria and other countries, particularly nations outside the Commonwealth.
Tinubu transmitted the bill to the Senate in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Transfer of Convicted Offenders (Enactment and Enforcement) Act, Cap. 216, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to enable the Federal Government to implement prisoner-transfer agreements with foreign governments.
In the letter, the President explained that the amendment would allow Nigeria to enter into arrangements for transferring convicted persons between the country and other nations under mutually agreed conditions.
The proposed changes would also empower the President to extend the application of the law to countries with which Nigeria has entered into relevant agreements through an order published in the Federal Gazette.
According to Tinubu, the amendment would facilitate the implementation of existing and future prisoner-transfer arrangements, including agreements with countries outside the Commonwealth.
Following the presentation of the President’s letter, Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
Ibori, Ekweremadu among Nigerians convicted abroad
The proposed amendment comes amid several high-profile cases involving Nigerians convicted by foreign courts.
Former Delta State Governor James Ibori was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment in the United Kingdom in 2012 after pleading guilty to money-laundering offences. He was released in 2016.
Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison in the UK in 2023 over his role in an organ-trafficking conspiracy involving a young man.
Similarly, Abidemi Rufai, a former aide to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in the United States in 2022 for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Nigeria already has a prisoner-transfer agreement with the United Kingdom, allowing eligible prisoners to serve their sentences in their home countries, subject to the applicable legal requirements and the terms of the agreement.
The proposed amendment seeks to broaden the domestic legal framework for implementing similar arrangements with other countries.
However, the bill would not automatically entitle all Nigerians convicted abroad to return home to serve their sentences. Any transfer would depend on the relevant agreement, the prisoner’s eligibility and the applicable conditions, including the decisions required from the governments involved.
The bill remains subject to legislative consideration by the National Assembly.
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