Nigerian Prisoners in UK do not favour a transfer back home, according to media reports quoting Nigerian High Commissioner to UK, Alhaji Dalhatu Tafida.
In an interview today, the High commissioner said the number of Nigerian's in UK Prison has drastically reduced to about 390 persons serving various jail terms.
Responding to questions from Premium Times on Tuesday, Alh. Tafda said some Nigerian prisoners expressed concern over returning to their country to complete their terms because of poor prison facilities and the stigma of having been to jail.
Explaining the details of the agreement, he said that the transfers of prisoners to their home countries was not an automatic exercise whereby those in jail would return home immediately. According to him, transfer will not be voluntarily but decided by both governments.
Confirm the decline in the number of prisoners in UK prisons, he said “In 2008, when I assumed office, there were 800 Nigerians serving various terms; but today, the figure had dropped to about 390.”
He said the decline was evidence of less less crime being committed by Nigerians and that those who finished their term were released. Adding “Similarly, those without papers are returning home voluntarily as life is tough here.”
Asked how many prisoners are usually transfer each time, the High commissioner "as many as 40 people were usually repatriated monthly under the UK-Nigeria repatriation programme."
On Friday, 10 January 2014, Woolwich Online reported the formal signing of the Commpulsory Prisoner Transfer Agreement between Nigeria and the UK by Jeremy Wright, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice and Mohammed Bello Adoke, Nigerian Attorney-General shake hands after signing the Agreement, in the Nigerian Capital, Abuja.
Following the formal signing, Jeremy Wright, said "Removing foreign national offenders is a key priority for the British Government and the prisoner transfer agreement I signed this morning with the Nigerian Attorney-General plays a significant role in supporting this."
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