Home Sweet Home: UK Pays £1m To Transfer 534 Nigerian Prisoners Home

The United Kingdom has promised to give Nigerian Prisons £1m (about N210m) to improve its prisons before 534 Nigerian prisoners in Britain can be sent home to serve the remainder of their jail sentences under a deal agreed between the two countries.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has made it a major campaign point in 2010 to reduce the number of foreign prisoners in UK prisons by deporting them to finish their sentence in their hom countries.

There are 534 Nigerians in UK prisons and more than half of them, according to UK media reports, could be deported under the new prisoner transfer agreement under discussion.

 A major stumbling block to this deportation has been the poor condition of prisons in the prisoners home countries, but the UK has promised £1million to Nigeria to help improve its prisons.

UK Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright said, “I am clear that more foreign prisoners must serve their sentences in their own countries. That is why we are currently working with the Nigerian Government on a compulsory prisoner transfer agreement to increase the number of prisoners who are transferred.

Up to £1 Million has been promised to upgrade Nigerian jails including a new wing at the Kirikiri prison in Lagos. Latest figures show there are 534 Nigerian nationals in British jails, 485 men and 49 women.