NIGERIAN Prisons Service (NPS) officials have completed plans to receive former Delta State governor Chief James Ibori and several other inmates currently serving jail terms in the UK under a Prison Transfer Agreement signed between both countries.

In April 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan and Prime Minister David Cameron signed a bill facilitating the exchange of prisoners between Nigeria and the UK that enables both countries to swap each other's citizens that are behind bars. Under the agreement, both countries can send prisoners serving time prisons to their home nation without the consent of the subject.

Chief Ibori was sentenced to 13 years in jail in the UK in 2012 for money laundering and corruption and is currently serving time at Her Majesty's pleasure. His supporters have long campaigned for him to be transferred to Nigeria to serve out his time and may be getting their wish soon as the facilities are now available.

Under the Prison Transfer Agreement deal, the UK committed to funding the refurbishment of several Nigerian prisons to bring them up to international standards. NPS spokesman Francis Enobore, said that these facilities have now been inspected and are not suitable to receive Nigerian prisoners transferred from abroad.

Earlier this week, Dr Peter Ekpendu, the comptroller-general of the NPS, made an inspection visit to Kuje Medium Security Prison in Abuja. During the visit, he showed the facilities to interior minister Lt General Abdulrahman Dambazau and officials from the UK high commission in Nigeria.

Dr Ekpendu added: “Our prisons are ready. We are ready to receive the prisoners anytime they are brought back.”

General Dambazau said: “Our concentration is not just on Kuje prison but some prisons in other states, including Kirikiri Prison. We are hoping that by the time the budget is signed and we get our releases, we are going to embark on renovation of some prisons, capacity building and reinforcement of security.

“The prisoner exchange agreement is quiet at an advanced stage but there are a lot of issues involved. First of all, we have to clear that, legally, in terms of the rights of the prisoner, so that we do not violate any and there are still other issues that we are considering.”

With Britain currently facing budgetary cuts, prime minister David Cameron, has vowed to end the practice of the taxpayers picking up the bill for criminals with no business in the UK. In 2010, he said  that he would personally intervene to send more foreign criminals home. 

Britain spent about £1m spent to help upgrade jails, including building a new wing at Kirikiri Prison in Lagos. Nigerians account for one in 20 of all foreign prisoners in the UK, making them the fifth largest community within the British prison service, at a cost of about £40,000 a year to maintain each of them.