Nigeria, Nov. 13 -- The Nigerian government has signed a readmission agreement with the European Union (EU,) which would facilitate the return of Nigerians living illegally in EU member states.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this in a statement on Wednesday.

Negotiations over the deal have been ongoing for nearly a decade as more Nigerians have migrated to Europe.

About 260,000 Nigerians legally reside in the bloc. However, an IOM report also recorded 27,234 irregular arrivals of Nigerian nationals in Europe between 2017 and March 2024.

The agreement was formally signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner. It would facilitate the ...