At last, Nigeria and the United Kingdom on Thursday signed the long awaited Prisoner Transfer Agreement in Abuja.
With this development, no fewer than 752 Nigerians serving various jail terms in prisons across the United Kingdom will soon be heading home to complete their jail terms.
The agreement was signed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammad Adoke, for Nigeria, and UK Minister of Justice, Jeremy Wright, at an event coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking, the Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, who coordinated the signing, said experts from both countries will now come up with the modalities for the implementation of the agreement, after which both countries will ratify for it to take effect.
Wright gave the assurance that his country would show commitment to the implementation of the agreement.
He said: This is a good agreement for both Nigeria and UK.
“It gives us an opportunity to strengthen our partnership and friendship.
“It is also an opportunity to ensure that the prisoners, which come from either country, will serve their sentences in their own countries.
“That is better for their rehabilitation.
“It is difficult to be precise about figures of how many prisoners will be affected.
“But not all of them will be eligible for the transfer agreement.
“What we anticipate is that the Nigerian Government will wish to identify a number of prisoners.
“We will be able to look at these prisoners and provide some assistance.
“That is a process that will be ongoing.”
Wright posited that the agreement would benefit the prisoners by facilitating their rehabilitation and reintegration into the society should they be returned to their home countries to complete their jail terms.
He noted that such transfer would also reduce their chances of committing further crime in their host country and also remove obstacles that may impede their constitutional freedom when reintegrated into the society.
Also speaking, Adoke said that the Federal Government would remain “irrevocably committed to the welfare of Nigerians residing in the United Kingdom”.
Adoke said further: “It is therefore our expectation that in implementing the terms of this agreement, the government of the United Kingdom will continue to accord all convicted appropriate legal protection and remedies available under the UK laws and relevant international human rights instrument, as well as ensure that all legal remedies have been exhausted to the convicted offenders before they are transferred to Nigeria.”
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