President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked Nigeria’s Senate to amend the country’s existing law on the transfer of convicted offenders, seeking to make it easier for eligible Nigerians imprisoned abroad to serve the remainder of their sentences in Nigeria.
The President has submitted the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Amendment Bill, 2026, to the Senate for consideration. The proposed legislation is intended to provide a stronger legal framework for Nigeria to enter into prisoner-transfer agreements with foreign governments, particularly countries outside the Commonwealth.
The request was conveyed in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Following the presentation, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
The proposed amendment seeks to address limitations in Nigeria’s existing legal framework for transferring convicted prisoners between countries.
Under the current legislation, arrangements for transferring convicted offenders are largely structured around Commonwealth countries. This limits the legal framework available for implementing similar agreements with nations outside the Commonwealth. If the amendment is passed, Nigeria would have a clearer legal pathway to negotiate and implement prisoner-transfer arrangements with a wider range of countries.
According to the President, the proposed bill would also empower him to extend the law’s application to countries with which Nigeria has concluded relevant agreements through an order published in the Federal Gazette.
Under the proposed framework, eligible Nigerians convicted by foreign courts could be transferred to Nigeria to serve the remaining portions of their prison sentences, provided the relevant international agreement and legal requirements allow it.
The arrangement would also work in the opposite direction. Foreign nationals convicted by Nigerian courts could potentially be transferred to their home countries to complete their sentences under applicable agreements.
However, the proposal does not mean that every Nigerian convicted abroad would automatically be allowed to return home. Transfers would depend on the terms of the agreement between the countries involved, the prisoner’s eligibility and other applicable conditions.
The legislation must also pass through the required legislative process before it can become law.
The proposal comes amid several high-profile cases involving Nigerians who have been convicted and imprisoned in foreign countries. One notable example is former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison in the United Kingdom in 2023 for his role in an organ-trafficking conspiracy involving a young Nigerian man.
Another example is Abidemi Rufai, a former aide to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who received a prison sentence in the United States in 2022 for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Such cases have drawn public attention to the circumstances under which Nigerians serving sentences overseas may be transferred to their home country.
Nigeria already has a prisoner-transfer arrangement with the United Kingdom, under which eligible prisoners may be transferred subject to the applicable requirements and the agreement of both governments. The proposed amendment seeks to establish a broader framework for similar arrangements with countries outside the Commonwealth.
The bill will need to undergo further consideration by the National Assembly before it can become law. Its referral to the Senate committee marks another step in the legislative process, but the proposed changes are not yet in effect.
If passed, the amendment could expand Nigeria’s options for international cooperation in criminal justice and create a clearer legal basis for transferring eligible convicted offenders between Nigeria and partner countries.
For Nigerians with relatives serving prison sentences abroad, the proposal may raise hopes of a possible return home. Nevertheless, any transfer would depend on the final law, the relevant international agreements and the circumstances of each case.
ScoopHub will continue to follow developments as the Senate considers the proposed amendment.
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