President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to consider amendments to Nigeria’s prisoner transfer legislation that would provide a broader legal basis for eligible Nigerians convicted abroad to serve the remainder of their sentences in Nigeria.
The proposed Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Amendment Bill 2026 was transmitted in a presidential letter read during Senate plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
According to the letter, the amendment would allow the Federal Government to give domestic legal effect to transfer agreements concluded with other countries. It would also provide a mechanism for extending the law’s application to countries covered by relevant agreements, including nations outside the Commonwealth.
The proposal does not mean that every Nigerian serving a foreign sentence would automatically qualify for transfer. Any arrangement would remain subject to the terms agreed by the governments concerned, eligibility requirements and applicable legal safeguards.
Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration. Nigeria already has experience with prisoner transfer arrangements, including with the United Kingdom, but the proposed legislation seeks to clarify or extend the framework.
In a separate development during the same sitting, the Senate called for a comprehensive investigation into travel agencies and criminal networks suspected of facilitating the trafficking and exploitation of Nigerians in Libya.
The resolution followed consideration of a committee report on the protection of Nigerians exposed to trafficking, forced labour and other abuses. Lawmakers called for stronger enforcement of existing legislation, improved funding for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and coordinated investigation by police, immigration, anti corruption authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Senate also proposed a national protection and reintegration programme for trafficking survivors returning to Nigeria, alongside stronger diplomatic engagement with Libya. Senator Neda Imasuen argued that enforcement failures, rather than an absence of laws, remained a major obstacle to accountability.
Both developments now require concrete follow through: legislative scrutiny of the prisoner transfer bill and evidence based investigations that protect trafficking victims while respecting the rights of anyone accused.
