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.”
Tags
Politics
wonderful Nigeria!!!
ReplyDeleteHeii nija ! Una no dey tire ?
ReplyDeleteOur leaders n rulers cause dis n I pity dis prisoners cause they are coming to suffer big time,d conditions of our prison is hell compare to d britsh ones which even d masses in Nigeria will love to go n live inside of rather freedom here outside Nigeria bcause of hunger,suffering,insecurity & hopeless situations we haf in dis country.I regret been a Nigerian
ReplyDeleteThey should never send any money to any Nigerian because that money will surely end up in somebody's pocket. knowing our public office holders in Nigeria, None of them will ever spend such money to improve a prison standard because their minds have been poisoned with corruption.
ReplyDeletethen not all class of felons would be sent back. or people like james IBORI will soon be a free man? .. OGE
ReplyDelete