Britain and Nigeria have agreed to deepen cooperation on immigration returns, criminal-data sharing and action against organised immigration crime, according to a joint communiqué published by the Home Office on 16 October 2026.
The document records commitments made during the annual UK–Nigeria Migration, Justice and Home Affairs dialogue, held in London on 6 October. Officials from both countries discussed the return of people who have no legal right to remain, border security, extradition and cooperation against international criminal networks.
Returns and criminal-record information
The two governments reaffirmed their existing operational partnership on returns and readmissions, with an emphasis on safe and dignified processes and support for reintegration. They also agreed to resume discussions about sharing criminal data for the purpose of returns.
Officials committed to further talks on information sharing at a reintegration conference planned for early 2027. The communiqué does not announce new numerical removal targets or say that a new criminal-record sharing arrangement is already operational.
Intelligence sharing and organised immigration crime
Britain and Nigeria recommitted to finalising a data-sharing memorandum of understanding to support efforts against organised immigration crime, subject to further technical discussions. They agreed to convene an expert intelligence-sharing session and prepare a joint strategic assessment of the threat before the end of 2026.
Other planned work includes cooperation on detecting fraudulent visa documents, strengthening border-management systems and developing expertise on the prosecution and sentencing of organised immigration offences.
Extradition, trafficking and fraud
The communiqué also sets out plans for closer cooperation on extradition cases, prisoner transfers, asset recovery and the prosecution of human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Both governments agreed to expand cooperation against cyber-enabled fraud and to exchange information on serious and organised crime trends.
The commitments cover a broad range of security and justice matters, rather than constituting a single new immigration treaty.
Builds on an existing partnership
The latest discussions follow agreements reached during Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's state visit to Britain in March 2026, including a three-year programme to tackle organised immigration crime. The October communiqué describes further implementation work and areas for negotiation under that existing partnership.
In an April parliamentary answer, the Home Office said the earlier returns partnership was intended to improve efficiency within existing Immigration Enforcement resources. The department also stated that returns under the arrangement must comply with UK law and international obligations, including safeguarding requirements.
What happens next?
Expert-level meetings on intelligence sharing and the organised immigration crime threat are expected before the end of 2026. A reintegration conference is planned for early 2027, while the next annual bilateral dialogue is due to take place in Nigeria in 2027.
Crucially, the joint communiqué records commitments and planned cooperation. It does not establish that the proposed new data-sharing memorandum has been signed, or that additional deportation powers have entered into force.