ABUJA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transmitted the Transfer of Convicted Offenders (Enactment and Enforcement) Amendment Bill, 2026, to the Senate, seeking to establish a legal framework for transferring convicted Nigerian citizens serving sentences abroad back home to complete their terms.
The executive communication was read during Tuesday’s plenary session by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In his letter, President Tinubu explained that the proposed amendment seeks to expand the existing law beyond Commonwealth nations. The bill aims to empower the President, through an order published in the Official Gazette of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to extend prisoner-transfer agreements to non-Commonwealth countries subject to bilateral treaties.
“The proposed legislation seeks to amend the existing framework to facilitate the transfer of convicted offenders between Nigeria and other nations under negotiated international agreements,” the President stated in his letter, urging lawmakers to grant the executive request expeditious consideration.
Legal analysts note that under the proposed legal framework, eligibility for repatriation would remain subject to specific bilateral conditions and mutual administrative consent between Nigeria and the foreign jurisdiction.
Following the reading of the letter on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Senate President Akpabio referred the amendment bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.
