UK To Repatriate 267 Nigerian Prisoners

Hundreds of Nigerian criminals will be sent
home to serve out prison sentences under
a deal set to be struck by ministers within
weeks.
Talks are continuing into reaching a
compulsory prisoner transfer agreement,
which could see more than half of the 534
criminals from Nigeria currently in UK jails
repatriated.
UK Prisons Minister, Jeremy Wright, told
MailOnline how ‘more foreign prisoners
must serve their sentences in their own
countries.’
Ministers have been ordered to step up
efforts to end the scandal of more than
one in eight prisoners being from overseas.
British Prime Minister, David Cameron
vowed to end the practice of the British
taxpayer picking up the bill for criminals
with no business in the UK.
The Prime Minister said in 2010 that he
would ‘personally intervene’ to send more
foreign criminals home.
Britain has even made clear it would pay to
build new prisons in countries like Nigeria
to speed up the process of sending foreign
criminals home. Up to £1m has been
promised to upgrade Nigerian jails,
including a new wing at Kirikiri Prison in
Lagos.
But to date little progress has been made.
When the coalition was formed there were
11,135 foreign prisoners in UK jails, and
this figure has fallen by just three per cent
since to 10,786.
Each felon costs an average of around
£40,000 a year to keep inside.
Last week it was announced that notorious
Liberian warlord Charles Taylor is to serve
his 50-year sentence for war crimes in the
UK.
A prisoner-transfer agreement was struck
with Albania earlier this year to ‘free up
space in prisons here and reduce the cost
to the British taxpayer’.
It was the first major bilateral prisoner
transfer agreement with a country outside
the European Union.
There were around 250 Albanians in UK
jails in June this year.
But securing an agreement with Nigeria
would be seen as a much more significant
breakthrough.
Latest figures show there were 534 Nigerian
nationals in British jails, 485 men and 49
women.
Nigerians account for one in 20 of all
foreign prisoners, putting the country fifth
in the league table of nations whose
citizens have been jailed in the UK.
Justice Minister Mr. 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.
“Legislation allowing Nigeria to enter such
an arrangement was passed earlier this
year by the Nigerian Parliament. We are
now working with them on the text of a
final agreement.”
Overflowing jails abroad have made it
increasingly difficult to deport prisoners to
their own country.
It is argued that by paying for building new
jails or making existing ones more
‘comfortable’ so they approach British
standards, will be repatriated.
Deal: David Cameron, who promised to
help Nigeria improves its jails, hopes to
strike a deal with Nigerian President
Goodluck Jonathan
Deal: David Cameron, who promised to
help Nigeria improves its jails, hopes to
strike a deal with Nigerian President
Goodluck Jonathan
In April Mr. Cameron said, “When people
are sent to prison in the UK we should do
everything we can to make sure that if
they’re foreign nationals, they are sent back
to their country to serve their sentence in a
foreign prison.
“And I’m taking action in Government to
say look we have strong relationships with
all of the countries where these people
come from.
“Many are coming from Jamaica, many from
Nigeria, many from other countries in Asia.
“We should be using all of the influence we
have to sign prisoner transfer agreements
with those countries. Even if necessary
frankly helping them to build prisons in
their own country so we can send the
prisoners home.”
http://www.punchng.com/news/uk-to-
repatriate-267-nigerian-prisoners/

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