Senior officials from the United Kingdom Home Office welcomed a delegation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria to co-chair the annual Migration, Justice, and Home Affairs dialogue on 19 March 2024 in London.
The discussions reaffirmed the strong relationship between Nigeria and the UK, with commitments made across a range of priority areas of mutual interest.
The commendable collaboration between the 2 nations on migration and countering criminality in all its forms was acknowledged. In this spirit of collaboration, there was agreement to raise awareness within each country of our respective internal systems and cultures.
Regarding serious and organised crime, Nigeria and the UK expressed mutual appreciation for ongoing efforts to prevent vulnerable young people from being engaged in criminality, intercepting and disrupting organised crime groups trafficking people and illicit commodities, as well as new opportunities to work together to combat online fraud.
Both parties recognised the improved engagement and information sharing between our respective governments and high commissions. They committed to proactively engage with relevant authorities to resolve outstanding issues as well as promoting our joint work to the public.
The significance of returning nationals with no right to remain in each other’s territories was mutually agreed, facilitated by the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding on Migration Partnership.
Both sides pledged to explore a deeper migration partnership and welcomed progress towards a criminal record data-sharing arrangement through technical working groups, the latest of which took place on 20 March 2024. This work will form the foundations for a deeper relationship on criminal records data sharing.
The collaborative efforts of Nigeria and the UK on these issues underscore our shared commitment to tackling crime and destabilising factors directly, highlighting the depth of the relationship between the 2 countries. Both nations committed to further meetings to assess progress against the commitments made ahead of the next annual talks and ongoing regular engagement between the Nigerian High Commission and the UK Home Office in London.
The next annual Migration, Justice, and Home Affairs talks, hosted by Nigeria, will take place in 2025 and will include contributions and participation from all relevant ministries, departments, and agencies from Nigeria and the UK.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, said: “I am pleased that the UK/Nigeria partnership continues to grow, including on important issues of migration and countering criminality in all its forms.
“Last week we reaffirmed our commitment to work closely together to disrupt organised crime groups who facilitate illicit trafficking, tackle illegal migration, and ensure those with legitimate travel continue to visit our respective countries.
“We look forward to building our partnership further on areas of mutual interest and ultimately making our countries safer for citizens.”