The federal government of Nigeria has reiterated its unwillingness to accept deportees from the United States, distancing itself from recent moves by countries such as Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan to accept foreign individuals deported from the United States.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated the government’s position to Saturday PUNCH in an interview, emphasising that Nigeria remained solid in its stance, citing national security and economic considerations.
Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in July that President Donald Trump’s administration was increasing pressure on African countries to accept deportees guilty of crimes under his “third-country deportation” policy.
“The US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prisons,” Tugar said.
He called the proposal “unacceptable” and warned that it would unfairly burden nations such as Nigeria, who are already dealing with domestic issues.
“It will be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own, we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria for crying out loud. We already have 230 million people,” Tugar stressed.
Although Tugar did not disclose the specifics of the diplomatic pressure being applied to African countries, the Trump administration has already announced new visa regulations for Nigeria and others.
In June, the US Department of State updated its visa policy for Nigerian nationals, adopting more stringent criteria for the majority of non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas.
According to the new policy, most Nigerian citizens intending to visit the United States will be handed single-entry visas good for three months.
The adjustment marks a significant shift in the United States’ visa reciprocity agreement with Nigeria, and it is part of the US government’s larger drive to match global visa requirements with its immigration and security policies.
The Trump administration has also threatened countries that fail to help with US deportation efforts with visa sanctions under Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the United States to restrict visas for countries that block deportations.
In April, the United States threatened to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and restrict future issuance in response to the African country’s initial refusal to accept the return of its repatriated nationals.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, issued the warning in a statement posted on his X (previously Twitter) on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
“I am taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and to restrict any further issuance to prevent entry into the United States, effective immediately, due to the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner,” he wrote.
Rubio further stated that the US will “prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.”
The contentious “third-country deportation” programme was formally reinstated on June 23, 2025, following a US Supreme Court decision that paved the legal road for deportees to countries other than their own.
The policy authorises the United States to deport people to countries other than their own, especially if their own country refuses to accept them.
According to the Institute for Security Studies in Africa, the United States paid El Salvador $5 million in March to imprison over 250 Venezuelan deportees accused of gang links in a maximum-security prison known for human rights violations.
Since then, the Trump administration has expanded its strategy to Africa, deporting people from Vietnam, Jamaica, and Yemen to South Sudan and Eswatini.
The Department of Homeland Security justified the decision by claiming that their native countries refused ‘to take them back’.
South Sudan became the first African country to accept deportees under Trump’s reinstated “third-country deportation” policy.
In July, the US Supreme Court approved the repatriation to South Sudan of eight individuals who had purportedly been convicted of severe crimes and lacked US legal status.
Eswatini, a Southern African republic, followed soon after, welcoming five people from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos.
Rwanda is the third country to reach an agreement, agreeing to take up to 250 deportees from the United States but reserving discretion over who to accept.
Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo confirmed the deal to CNN, revealing that the East African nation had “agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants” in a deal that allows the government “to approve each individual proposed for resettlement”.
When approved, the migrants, according to her, “will be provided with workforce training, health care, and accommodation support to jump-start their lives in Rwanda”, allowing them to “contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade”.
Speaking in the interview, Ebienfa branded US demand as unreasonable and unacceptable for Nigeria, which is currently grappling with economic, social, and security difficulties.
Ebienfa stated that while Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan had chosen to help with US deportation attempts, “Nigeria’s priorities differ”.
“Even if other African countries are accepting deportees from the US, Nigeria will not accept them.
“We are a sovereign country and we take decisions only after fully analysing the implications to our national security,” Ebienfa said.
According to Ebienfa, Nigeria is now facing a number of domestic difficulties and cannot afford to carry “additional baggage.”
“We have our own issues we are struggling with. We will not allow ourselves to be pressured into accepting deportees, regardless of what other nations are doing,” he told our correspondent.
He went on to say that Nigeria’s international alliances, particularly ongoing projects like the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline and rare earth mineral reserves of importance to global markets, are important for its economy and strategy.
“Our national interest, as it stands now, is not favourably disposed to accepting deportees from the American government,” Ebienfa said.
