The British government announced on Thursday that it has reached an agreement with Nigeria to make it easier to deport irregular migrants to the African country, coinciding with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom.

During a meeting at 10 Downing Street on March 19, 2026, President Tinubu and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the agreement.

“Irregular migrants, foreign criminals, and rejected asylum seekers will be deported [from the UK] much more easily” under this deal, stated the UK Home Office in a press release.

As part of the agreement, a replacement identity document issued to people without a valid passport will now be recognized by Nigerian authorities, explained the Home Office. The UK will no longer have to wait for Nigeria to issue emergency travel documents when it seeks to deport someone to the most populous country in Africa.

President Bola Tinubu was received on Thursday by Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the second and final day of his state visit—the first for a Nigerian leader in nearly 40 years. During discussions, he addressed the terrorism challenges facing his country.

“What we are facing is not a small challenge,” said President Tinubu, whose visit follows suicide attacks in Maiduguri (northeast Nigeria) on Monday that killed 23 people and injured over a hundred—among the deadliest in recent years.
“Nigeria is not safe, the United Kingdom is not safe,” he added.

According to Downing Street, both leaders committed to closer collaboration to strengthen the UK and Nigeria’s response to transnational crime and terrorism.

The meeting came shortly after British Steel announced a £70 million (over €81 million) contract for port redevelopment work in Nigeria, one of its largest export orders. The deal includes the supply of 120,000 tonnes of steel, which will increase production at its Scunthorpe site in northern England.

Nigeria, a former British colony that gained independence in 1960, is a member of the Commonwealth. The two countries are major partners in trade, development aid, and defense. In November 2024, the UK and Nigeria signed a strategic partnership to strengthen cooperation in economic, migration, and security matters.

President Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, were received on Wednesday by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor for a day of royal pomp, concluding with a state banquet. The last state visit of a Nigerian president to the UK was in 1989.