Statement of intent between the UK and the Republic of Nigeria on cooperation relating to border security and organised crime
Published 19 March 2026
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Statement of intent
Statement of intent between the Home office of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Ministry of Interior of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria regarding cooperation on organised crime and border security.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Federal Republic of Nigeria, have a comprehensive, mutually beneficial Strategic Partnership, signed in 2024. This includes a commitment to increasing cooperation on migration, monitored through the annual UK-Nigeria Migration, Justice and Home Affairs (MJHA) dialogue.
On the occasion of the State Visit of His Excellency the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Kingdom, we, the undersigned, announce our intention to expand cooperation to reduce organised immigration crime and the risks associated with it. Both parties acknowledge that managing migration and our sovereign borders is a matter of significant importance and commit ourselves to strengthening our collaboration to protect both our citizens and our border systems from harm.
In the spirit of partnership, mutual support and shared understanding, both Parties hereby announce a three-year strategic plan to tackle organised immigration crime by;
i. Ensuring that sentences for those convicted of immigration crime related offences are increased under Nigerian law, proportionate to the harm these offences cause, with particular regard to false document production following legal review.
ii. A commitment to expanding the legal basis on which prosecutors can charge offenders alleged to have committed crimes related to immigration and border security following legal review.
iii. Tightened regulation of processes used by Nigerian authorities who issue travel documents and documents used to support visa applications, for example through verification and assurance technologies.
iv. Strengthening the commitment to the UK / Nigeria Organised Immigration Crime Unit through the signing of four Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) on operational engagement and data sharing to support collaboration to tackle organised immigration crime (OIC).
v. Bolstering Nigerian border security through the provision of training and capability to relevant parastatals, which the UK commits to do in partnership with Nigeria.
vi. Working together to safeguard women and children who are migrating, focusing particularly on the protection of children and addressing challenges with surrogacy regulation; through discussions at the MJHA Dialogue.
The three-year plan will consist of:
1. The immediate signing of cooperation MoUs in relation to the operationalising of the joint UK / Nigeria Organised Immigration Crime Unit that has been created to target criminal activity that facilitates visa abuse. Further MoUs on Data Sharing will be signed before or during the next UK-Nigeria MJHA Dialogue.
2. A UK commitment to support Nigeria’s process of legal review to improve legislation associated with irregular migration, with particular regard to reviewing maximum sentence length for extant immigration-related criminal offences, and conducting a comprehensive review of offences under current legislation to ensure that novel and evolving types of immigration crime can be appropriately prosecuted.
3. Enhancing our joint understanding of irregular migration processes and systems through shared research and assessments.
4. Agreeing a standard validation system or process to enable fast and seamless checks for documents used for visa applications for international travel from Nigeria to the UK, whose performance will be regularly assessed and monitored to ensure rapid exchanges of information.
5. Commitment to continued staffing of the Organised Immigration Crime Unit with vetted officers from the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
6. UK Commitment to supporting Nigerian Border Security through training, capability sharing, and high-level engagement.
The above commitments will be monitored and assessed through the annual UK-Nigeria Migration, Justice and Home Affairs Dialogue, with progress reports submitted to their respective Ministers.
Signed in London on 18 of March 2026, with each version being equally valid.
[Signed]
Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP
Home Secretary for the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
[Signed]
Honourable Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo
Honourable Minister of Interior for the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria