Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Thousands of failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders could be deported from the United Kingdom (UK) to Nigeria under a new bilateral agreement reached during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit, the Daily Mail has reported.
According to the newspaper, Britain has “secured a new deal with the Nigerian government which will make it easier to deport thousands of failed asylum seekers and criminals.”
The report said the agreement was signed this week as part of high-level engagements between both countries.
The Daily Mail said UK authorities are currently dealing with hundreds of Nigerians whose asylum applications have been rejected. It reported that “there are 961 Nigerian failed asylum seekers in this country who have exhausted their rights of appeal,” while another “1,110 foreign national offenders from Nigeria” are awaiting deportation.
The newspaper added that the agreement is expected to remove one of the major obstacles to deportations — delays in obtaining travel documents. Under the new arrangement, Nigeria will reportedly accept diplomatic notes, known as “UK Letters,” in place of passports during the removal process.
The Daily Mail further quoted UK officials as saying the agreement would allow deportations to be carried out “with less red tape,” and would also cover Nigerians who overstayed work or visitor visas.
Recent official figures show that deportations to Nigeria and other West African countries have already been increasing. In April 2025, the UK government confirmed that 43 failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders were returned to Nigeria and Ghana on a charter flight as part of a broader effort to strengthen border enforcement.
The newspaper also reported that the new deal forms part of a wider security partnership between the two countries, including cooperation to tackle visa fraud, cybercrime, and organised immigration crime.
It added that the agreement was signed by the UK Home Secretary and Nigeria’s Interior Minister during the state visit, which also included official meetings and a state banquet hosted by King Charles.
