The presidency has revealed that the agreement between Nigeria and the UK to accept deportees without legal status will not apply to foreign nationals.

According to the agreement, the deportees would include convicted criminals, expired visa entrants and unsuccessful asylum claimants.

Temitope Ajayi, the president’s senior special assistant on media and publicity, stated in a statement on Friday that the agreement only applies to Nigerians who lack the legal right to live and work in the UK.

“Nigerian government is not taking back non-Nigerians. The UK government is not compelling Nigeria to take those who are not our citizen.

“The agreement guarantees that returnees who are citizens of Nigeria will be treated with dignity, rights retention under domestic law, and may re-enter in the future if they meet the applicable immigration requirements,” Ajayi noted.

In order to expedite the return of people without legal passports, the agreement calls for the Nigerian government to accept letters from the UK for the first time.