Nigeria and the European Union have finalised a readmission agreement on migration, bringing to a close negotiations that lasted about a decade. The agreement sets out a framework for the return of Nigerians who have no legal grounds to remain in EU member states.

The development was announced on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, by Nigeria's Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, during a meeting in Abuja with the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, and his delegation. The meeting took place ahead of the formal signing of the agreement, according to a statement from the ministry's head of press and public relations, Mary Ali.

Who the agreement covers

Tunji-Ojo said the agreement would apply to three categories of people: Nigerians holding valid travel documents, those who travelled with valid documents but later lost or destroyed them, and those who travelled without any form of identification. He said the agreement would help create a more orderly and dignified system of migration management that benefits both sides, and assured the EU delegation that Nigeria would honour every provision.

Brunner described the finalisation of the agreement as a significant development in Nigeria-EU relations, saying it could provide a foundation for cooperation in other areas, including police cooperation, the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and the creation of legal migration pathways.

Funding and migration records

Brunner said about 260,000 Nigerians were legally resident in the EU, and disclosed that the EU had made almost 100 million euros available in additional funding to support broader cooperation, with talks on how the funding will be used to begin with Nigerian migration and security officials.

Tunji-Ojo also said Nigeria had moved more than 17 billion migration records into an integrated system as part of efforts to automate its migration processes, which he said would help the authorities verify the nationality of people being returned more quickly and accurately. Further discussions on anti-trafficking measures and legal migration pathways are expected to follow the conclusion of the agreement. Read the reports from People and Power Magazine and Warri Aproko.