A recent report reveals that some Nigerians recruited to work as prison officers in the United Kingdom have been left homeless, resorting to sleeping in cars and setting up makeshift camps due to the lack of provided accommodation.
Faced with a staff shortage, the UK prison service began sponsoring skilled worker visas following an October 2023 amendment that added prison officers to the list of eligible professions. However, recruits reportedly arrived expecting housing to be included in the job package, only to find no such arrangements in place.
Mark Fairhurst, President of the Prison Officers Association (POA), described the situation as severe, sharing accounts of officers arriving with their families and belongings, only to discover no accommodations were provided. In one instance, a Nigerian recruit unable to afford a 70-mile commute slept in his car outside the prison, while others set up camps in wooded areas near their workplaces.
The Ministry of Justice disclosed that around 250 foreign nationals, many of them Nigerians, were sponsored after completing online interviews and background checks. Prison governors reported that foreign applicants, primarily Nigerians, comprised up to two-thirds of the 3,500 monthly applications during a peak period last year.
Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors’ Association, noted challenges such as language barriers, integration difficulties in rural areas, and inadequate preparation for the demands of the role.
Fairhurst criticized the hiring process, which relies on Zoom interviews, calling for a return to in-person assessments. He argued that the current six-week training program was insufficient for equipping recruits with the skills to manage prisoners effectively.
The report also highlighted a rise in misconduct among prison staff, with 165 employees dismissed in 2024, a 34% increase from the previous year, according to the HM Prison and Probation Service.