CEOAFRICA gathered that talks are under away to reach a compulsory prisoner transfer agreement which would ensure the repatriation of hundreds of Nigerians currently in UK jails.

According to Prison Minister, Jeremy Wright, the agreement would ensure that more foreign prisoners must serve their sentences in their own countries.

He pointed out that Legislation allowing Nigeria to enter such an arrangement was passed earlier this year by the Nigerian Parliament and work are ongoing on the text of a final agreement.

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, and up to £1million has been promised to upgrade Nigerian jails, including a new wing at Kirikiri Prison in Lagos.

Last week it was announced that 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’.

Latest figures show there were 534 Nigerian nationals in British jails, 485 men and 49 women, accounting 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.

Overflowing jails abroad however have made it increasingly necessary to deport prisoners to their own country.