President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a bill to the Senate seeking to amend Nigeria’s law on the transfer of convicted offenders to enable the country to implement prisoner-transfer agreements with countries outside the Commonwealth.

The proposed Transfer of Convicted Offenders (Enactment and Enforcement) Amendment Bill, 2026, is designed to strengthen the legal framework for transferring convicted persons between Nigeria and other countries.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, read the President’s letter transmitting the bill during plenary on Tuesday.

In the letter, Tinubu urged the lawmakers to give the proposed legislation expeditious consideration.

The bill seeks to amend the Transfer of Convicted Offenders (Enactment and Enforcement) Act, Cap. T16, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to facilitate the implementation of agreements between Nigeria and other countries on the transfer of convicted offenders.

Under the proposed amendment, the President would be empowered to extend the application of the Act to countries with which Nigeria has entered into relevant agreements through an order published in the Federal Gazette.

The amendment is expected to provide the legal foundation for implementing prisoner-transfer agreements with countries outside the Commonwealth, thereby broadening Nigeria’s options for negotiating such arrangements.

The existing law provides a framework for transferring convicted offenders, while the proposed amendment seeks to expand its application beyond the Commonwealth, subject to agreements reached with the countries concerned.

Prisoner-transfer agreements generally allow convicted persons to serve their sentences in another country under mutually agreed conditions, while addressing the legal and administrative requirements involved in transferring offenders between jurisdictions.

However, the proposed amendment must be considered and passed by the National Assembly before it can become law.

The President transmitted the bill in accordance with Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which outlines the President’s role in the legislative process.