BY Jemilat Nasiru
The United Kingdom has proposed to build a prison in Nigeria to enable the transfer of Nigerian prisoners in Britain.
The proposed 112-bed wing is to be built to United Nations specifications in the Kirikiri prison, Lagos.
The prison, according to a statement submitted to Parliament by Boris Johnson, UK secretary of state for foreign affairs, is estimated to cost £700,000.
According to Sky News, the project is part of a compulsory prisoner transfer agreement which both countries signed in 2014.
Johnson said poor conditions in some prisons overseas have created a legal barrier to returning foreigners convicted in the UK.
“As part of this agreement, eligible prisoners serving criminal sentences in Nigeria and the UK can be returned to complete their sentences in their respective countries,”Johnson said.
Deals to transfer prisoners in UK jails to their countries of origin have also been made with Albania, Rwanda, Jamaica and Libya.
“The government believes that wherever possible foreign nationals should serve their sentences in their own country,” a foreign office spokesperson told Sky News.
“Helping Nigeria to improve its prison conditions and increase prison capacity will enable us to transfer more prisoners to Nigeria, which will, in turn, free up prison places in the UK.”
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