Nigeria and the European Union on the Verge of Concluding a Migrant Readmission Agreement

Nigeria and the European Union are preparing to finalize a migrant readmission agreement, announced Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner on September 21, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, reports the Nigerian daily newspaper Daily Trust.

The text is not limited to the return of individuals in irregular situations. It encompasses reintegration assistance for returnees, infrastructure support, the opening of legal migration pathways, border management, the fight against transnational organized crime, information exchange with Europol, and partnerships dedicated to talent and skills.

Magnus Brunner stated that the finalization would provide "a foundation" for broader cooperation between Abuja and Brussels on migration. For her part, the Nigerian minister insisted on one requirement: that migration cooperation must not undermine her country's development interests. The project has been underway since 2016 and was extensively discussed in March 2026 during the 8th Nigeria-EU Ministerial Dialogue. A follow-up visit is scheduled for November 2026 in Abuja.

70,600 returns since 2017, 44,500 assisted

These negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of statistics. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 70,600 Nigerians have returned home since 2017 after an irregular migration attempt, and more than 44,500 of them have received reintegration assistance, with the others still in the process of being supported. These data were presented during a workshop held on September 21 and 22, 2026, in Kano with journalists and radio hosts.

The IOM communications officer in Nigeria, Elijah Alaigwu, argued that the media are "key partners" in countering misinformation about migration. The agency works with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

Trafficking, the blind spot of the return debate

In Kano, NAPTIP awareness officer Umar Muhammad reported 154 complaints received between January and September 2026 regarding human trafficking, child labor, and abuse, as well as nine convictions handed down, with sentences ranging from six to seven years.

For the Nigerian diaspora, the largest in West Africa residing in Europe, the test will be reciprocity. A readmission agreement that effectively organizes returns without opening genuine legal pathways for mobility—such as work visas, recognition of qualifications, and student circulation—would amount to making Abuja bear the political and social cost of a migration policy decided elsewhere.