By Emmanuel Obisue
Nigeria and the United Kingdom have renewed their commitment to strengthen collaboration on migration management, justice reform, and tackling organised crime under the Nigeria–UK Migration, Justice, and Home Affairs, MJHA, Dialogue 2025, held in Abuja.
Nigerian Pilot reports that the details of the meeting was conveyed in a joint communiqué signed by Ambassador Asari E. Allotey for Nigeria and Ambassador Asim Hafeez for the United Kingdom.
Senior officials from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UK Home Office co-chaired the annual dialogue, which builds on the outcomes of the 2024 session in London. Both sides reaffirmed their shared goal to promote security, prosperity, and mutual accountability while addressing migration and criminal justice challenges.
The two countries reached key agreements across nine thematic pillars, including returns and reintegration, visa reforms, combating organised immigration crime, extradition, prisoner transfer, human trafficking, and illicit finance.
Under the Returns, Readmissions and Reintegration framework, Nigeria and the UK pledged to continue cooperating on the safe and dignified return of individuals with no legal right to remain in each other’s territories. Both parties reaffirmed the effectiveness of the 2022 Migration Returns Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, in guiding the process.
On Visas and Immigration, the UK announced plans to roll out e-visas and streamline business travel procedures, while Nigeria committed to share its own e-visa development experience to enhance reciprocal travel. The UK also promised to provide updates at the next MJHA on the full rollout of its e-visa system.
To tackle Visa Abuse and Organised Immigration Crime, both nations agreed to finalise and sign a new MoU targeting cross-border crime syndicates and to expand training for Nigerian officers in the Organised Immigration Crime Unit.
In the area of Serious and Organised Crime, Nigeria and the UK agreed to jointly develop a Strategic Serious Organised Crime Threat Analysis, the first of its kind in West Africa, signifying a deepened intelligence-sharing partnership under the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
The UK also formally handed over its Brighter Futures PREVENT Programme to Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser. The initiative aims to steer vulnerable youth away from organised crime by providing positive alternatives. Nigeria pledged to sustain the programme beyond 2026 and expand awareness at both federal and state levels.
Both countries also advanced discussions on Extradition and Prisoner Transfer Agreements to enhance judicial cooperation and ensure criminals do not evade justice. Nigeria called for a review of the prisoner transfer framework to reflect current domestic legislation, including the Nigerian Correctional Services Act 2019.
The two sides further agreed to draft a new MoU on Human and Commodities Trafficking, strengthening collaboration among agencies such as the Nigerian Navy, Customs Service, NDLEA, and their UK counterparts to combat illicit maritime trade and trafficking networks.
On Illicit Finance, the UK reaffirmed its partnership with Nigerian authorities to combat money laundering and terrorist financing through a proposed Public-Private Partnership on Financial Crime. Both sides also committed to push for global reforms to reduce illicit financial flows and strengthen the regulation of enablers of corruption.
Nigeria and the UK concluded the dialogue by pledging to jointly monitor progress on all agreed actions and to reconvene for the next MJHA Dialogue in London in 2026.
