Double Jeopardy For Nigerian Failed Asylum Seekers

It is bad news enough to be denied entry into a county of choice, but for many Nigerian-failed asylum seekers, the news coming is one of double jeopardy.

Not only are they denied asylum, there is a move to quickly repatriate them back to Nigeria.

Nigeria has just entered into a fresh agreement with the United Kingdom which sole essence to enable British authorities repatriate thousands of failed asylum seekers and convicted offenders.

The policy is a major fallout of the recent visit of President Bola Tinubu to the United Kingdom.

The deal to repatriate failed asylum seekers was formalised by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

This has been confirmed in a statement released by the British Home Office on Thursday.

Aside failed asylum seekers, other Nigerians who have overstayed their visas, may also face repatriation possibilities.

Tunji-Ojo said Nigeria’s signatory to the deal shows that “we are totally committed to being a responsible country in fulfilling our core obligations”.

READ ALSO: UK Delivers Another Blow On Nigeria Asylum Seekers

READ ALSO: How NIS Seized 6,000 PVCs, National Identify Cards From Illegal Immigrants

“And for us to sustain that relationship, we must remember: ‘He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.’ So, we need to be as open and as fair as possible,” the minister said.

Describing Nigeria as a crucial partner in addressing irregular migration, the UK minister for border security and asylum, Alex Norris said:

“We owe everyone across the system fairness.

“Anyone who abuses our systems, breaks our laws or tries to cheat their way into Britain will be stopped and removed”.

In broader terms, both countries agreed on joint enforcement operations and intelligence sharing aimed at dismantling criminal networks exploiting visa pathways.