Nigeria and the United Kingdom signed an agreement on Thursday on the exchange of prisoners between them.
Under the agreement, high-profile prisoners like former Governor James Ibori of Delta State, and other Nigerians in the UK prisons will be transferred to Nigeria to complete their jail terms.
The UK Minister of Justice, Mr. Jeremy Wright, signed on behalf of his country while the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, signed for Nigeria in Abuja.
Wright, who visited the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, and the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, added that the British government would give the Federal Government £1m [about N280m} for a comprehensive reform of Nigerian Prisons.
During the visit to Onwuliri, Wright told journalists that under the agreement, the consent of a prisoner was not required before his repatriation could take place.
He said, “In relation to individual prisoners, there has to be a good deal of discussion between our two countries about individual prisoners and the agreement of both countries to be secured before individual transfers.
“The compulsory nature of this prisoner transfer agreement is that the prisoners’ themselves do not have to choose where they go or not but the respective countries do still have an opportunity to discuss whether a transfer should be made.’’
In April 2012, a British court sentenced Ibori to jail for 13 years for money laundering and associated crimes.
Ibori’s wife, Nkoyo, his sister, mistress and London solicitor were also convicted of related crime.
Onwuliri, who described the pact as “historic,’’ said experts from both countries would work out modalities for its implementation.
“We have been on the prisoners agreement for a long time and we are happy that we are beginning the year on a happy note by signing this agreement,’’ theNews Agencyof Nigeria quoted her as saying.
The minister expressed delight that the agreement would improve the condition of Nigeria prisons based on earlier pacts reached before the signing.
She pledged that Nigeria would continue to improve the condition of its prisons.
Also, the Director of Consular and Immigration Services in the ministry, Mr. Abdulazeez Dankano, noted that both countries were signatories to the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth.
Dankano stated that the scheme allowed for transfer of prisoners between Nigeria and the UK where the consent of both states and the prisoner was obtained.
He said that under the Commonwealth Scheme, only one Nigerian had been repatriated from the UK since inception.
After the agreement was signed, Wright stressed the importance of respecting the agreement by the two countries, adding that there was a need for the prisons in Nigeria to be improved considerably.
The UK minister, who led a five-man delegation to Moro said, although the prisoners were paying for the crimes they committed, conditions in their detention centres should be made humane and accommodating enough for them.
He thanked the Federal Government and Moro for making it possible for the two countries to finalise the agreement.
“We believe that the agreement today is a positive step in furthering our mutual relationship and partnership with Nigeria for prisoner exchange. Under the agreement Nigerians in UK prisons will be repatriated to Nigeria to complete their terms,”Wright said.
On his part, Moro promised to do everything within his powers to ensure that the agreement became operative before the end of the year.
He said, “I think that it is in the mutual interest of the two countries that the agreement reached should be implemented to the letter especially with the kind of traditional historical relationship that Nigeria shares with the UK; we have no reason to say one thing and do another.
“This government, anchored on transformation, is desirous of ensuring that we do things very differently from the way we were doing them in the past which have not given us results.”
He assured the visiting minister that even though Nigeria was grappling with prison congestion, it would not hamper the new agreement.
Moro commended the British government for assisting in the reform and transformation of Nigeria’s prison system, especially in the provision of necessary facilities that would make the prisoner transfer viable.
There are 521 Nigerians currently serving jail terms in the UK and only one British national in Nigerian prison .
According to officials, about 60 per cent of Nigerians in UK jails qualify for the compulsory prison transfer agreement.
http://www.punchng.com/news/ibori-others-to-complete-jail-terms-in-nigeria/

Now he will get a presidential pardon....hmmm i trust jona

why is dis government taking it citizens for fools? I can authoritatively tell u dat dis agreement was signed cos of one southern criminal..... may God help us
pls any body wit extra sleep should share wit me
..... eyes still open till dis time

The gods that free Bode George, Alamaisegba et:al will soon free him when he get to Nigeria.


GEJ will always encourage corruption in Stella style.

Oponuchukwu retardeen upholding corruption at home and abroad..... the dullard is a dark plague traumatizing Nigeria.

Na wah!

Ibori coming into freedom at last. Matter is closed, and prison term over!

Immediately he land in nigeria he will be free and celebrated ask bode nija sha

I know say GEJ don dey plan how to release ibori since. if Almustafa can be freed, ibori can.

It remains to be seen if despite the grudge Ibori bears against the president, for being the mastermind behind his incarceration in London, he would still work with the president towards 2015. This is likely the question on the minds of most political pundits for we know no sooner than he's given a cell in Nigeria would he be released, and likely for Project2015. He just might petend to be willing to assist and to shore up the president's grassroot leverage agaisnt suposed renegades like Amaechi from the home front, but covertly working on getting his pound of flesh from the president. Whatever it is, his eventual release and deployment would add yet another interesting ingredient to this already overly spicy 2015 broth. The president seems to have a thing for vonvicts. Perhaps he's just taking lessons preparatory to his future.

Ibori holds a dual citizenship, he is a British, that is just the simple reason why he was convicted and jailed in England in the first place when his second country won't do anything about his case during President Musa Yaradua's tenure as the president of Nigeria.

The Agreement will only affect the transfer of inmates who are serving jail terms that are not British Nationals, especially those who are involved in Immigration and other related crimes who are not citizens of GB. Instead of wasting so much tax payers money to cater for them in Jail and at the end of the day repatriated back to Nigeria.

This is just a way to cut the huge tax payers money spent on this foreign nationals (immigrants) serving in British Jails, so please get your fact rights, this agreement wasn't signed because of James Ibori.

I am so sure, he will finish his jail term in Britain because he holds a British Nationality, he is not qualify for a transfer, like the articles quotes "only about 60% of Nigerians there qualifies for such transfer"

The author of this article dragged Ibori's name into it to catch attention

i dont think it is a good idea. nigerian prisoner will not be treated well in nigeria. they are best to remain in britain . nigeria cant not handle sure. the prison will not be treated well in nigeria.

nigerian who are in prison in britain they will all prefer to serve their sentence in britain than serve in nigeria. i believe nigeria govt have done a dis serve to them.

there are human right abuse by nigeria govt against prisoners. i dont think they should be transferred

SMH Y transfer dem?
Dier new prison Naija wil hav AC nd PS4.

Jonah!....Jonah!!.....Jonah!!! Oloriburuku ni ee oooo,but we are not fools and I know God is watching you.

JW214: Ibori holds a dual citizenship, he is a British, that is just the simple reason why he was convicted and jailed in England in the first place when his second country won't do anything about his case during President Musa Yaradua's tenure as the president of Nigeria.

The Agreement will only affect the transfer of inmates who are serving jail terms that are not British Nationals, especially those who are involved in Immigration and other related crimes who are not citizens of GB. Instead of wasting so much tax payers money to cater for them in Jail and at the end of the day repatriated back to Nigeria.

This is just a way to cut the huge tax payers money spent on this foreign nationals (immigrants) serving in British Jails, so please get your fact rights, this agreement wasn't signed because of James Ibori.

I am so sure, he will finish his jail term in Britain because he holds a British Nationality, he is not qualify for a transfer, like the articles quotes "only about 60% of Nigerians there qualifies for such transfer"

The author of this article dragged Ibori's name into it to catch attention

Henry Okah get South African citizenship? Now they are giving you money to reform prison una dey accept, when they bring their useless gay marriage issue now, na then we go remember say we be sovereign nation

Good move!!!