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President Bola Tinubu has transmitted the Transfer of Convicted Offenders (Enactment and Enforcement) (Amendment) Bill 2026 to the National Assembly for consideration.
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The proposed legislation seeks to facilitate the transfer of Nigerians convicted abroad to serve their sentences at home under agreements with foreign governments.
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The bill would also allow foreign nationals convicted in Nigeria to be transferred to their home countries, subject to applicable agreements and conditions.
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Tinubu has forwarded the bill to both chambers of the National Assembly, while the Senate has referred it to the Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
October 27, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a bill to the National Assembly seeking to establish a legal framework for transferring Nigerians convicted abroad to serve their sentences in Nigeria under agreements with foreign governments.
The proposed Transfer of Convicted Offenders (Enactment and Enforcement) (Amendment) Bill 2026 seeks to amend the existing law to facilitate the transfer of convicted offenders between Nigeria and other countries, including nations outside the Commonwealth.
Tinubu transmitted the bill to the Senate in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which was read during plenary on Tuesday.
The president also forwarded the proposed legislation to the House of Representatives in a letter dated October 20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, requesting its expeditious consideration.
In his communication to the Senate, Tinubu cited Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, as the basis for forwarding the bill for legislative consideration.
“The Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Amendment Bill 2026 seeks to amend the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Enactment and Enforcement Act, Act Cap 216, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004, to give effect to the provisions of any scheme or agreement for the transfer of convicted offenders between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the government of any other country”, the president said.
According to Tinubu, the proposed amendment would empower the Federal Government to enter into agreements with other countries for the transfer of convicted offenders.
The arrangements would enable eligible Nigerians convicted in foreign countries to serve their sentences in Nigeria. They would also allow foreign nationals convicted in Nigeria to be transferred to their home countries, subject to the terms of the relevant agreements.
The president said the bill would further empower him, through an order published in the Federal Gazette, to extend the application of the Act to any country with which Nigeria had entered into an agreement for the transfer of convicted offenders.
The provision is intended to facilitate the implementation of prisoner-transfer agreements with countries outside the Commonwealth, expanding the range of countries with which Nigeria could establish such arrangements.
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In his letter to the House of Representatives, Tinubu urged lawmakers to consider the proposed legislation expeditiously.
“While it is my hope that the House of Representatives will consider this submission expeditiously, please accept, Rt. Hon. Speaker, the assurances of my highest consideration”, the president stated.
The bill seeks to amend the Transfer of Convicted Offenders (Enactment and Enforcement) Act, Cap. T16, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to provide for the implementation of schemes and agreements between Nigeria and other countries concerning the transfer of convicted persons.
Following the reading of the president’s letter during Senate plenary, Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
The proposed amendment would not automatically entitle every Nigerian convicted abroad to be transferred home. Any transfer would depend on the existence of an applicable agreement and compliance with its terms and conditions.
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