A group of judges are delivering training in Nigeria funded by the British taxpayer despite the country being singled out by the Home Office for not accepting illegal migrant deportations.
GB News can reveal the visit to the West African nation, which is understood to be funded by Britain’s foreign aid budget, is taking place as more than 100 trials in England and Wales have been listed for 2029.
The trip is being led by the deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram, one of the country’s most senior judges.
It is not the first time taxpayers have covered the costs for training visits to Nigeria, with judicial sources sharing photos of a similar trip in 2023.
Nigeria has been singled out by Government sources as one of the worst offenders for refusing to accept illegal migrants
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The revelations come as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that the Government could restrict visas to countries that resist taking back illegal migrants.
Nigeria has been singled out by Government sources as one of the worst offenders for refusing to accept illegal migrants.
Mahmood has outlined that she could punish countries that make deportations difficult by penalising their access to visas.
But her former shadow minister in the justice department, Robert Jenrick, told GB News tonight that Nigeria should not receive “a penny of taxpayer money in aid” if the country won’t take back its nationals in Britain illegally.
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Robert Jenrick, told GB News tonight that Nigeria should not receive 'a penny of taxpayer money in aid' if the country won’t take back its nationals in Britain illegally
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The Government has started cutting foreign aid in order to find defence priorities, but funding for Lagos will jump up from £117 million to £135 million in this financial year.
GB News understands that the visit will see three judges deliver training on the judicial code of conduct, sentencing practices, effective communication, and case management.
But a sitting judge, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “At a time when our court buildings are crumbling, and Crown Court trials are being listed in 2029, it’s incredibly frustrating to see judicial time and foreign aid money being spent on trips to train judges in Nigeria, a country which refuses to take back failed asylum seekers and rejected migrants.”
A spokesperson for the Judiciary told GB News: “Judges engage in international work in addition to their sitting duties, with the latter always taking precedence.
"International visits frequently take place during judges' own time or around court sitting.”