• The US Department of Justice filed denaturalisation actions against 25 individuals, three of whom are Nigerian nationals aged between 56 and 72
• All three Nigerians are accused of obtaining American citizenship through fraud, concealed identities, or wilful misrepresentation during naturalisation proceedings
• The filings are part of what the DOJ described as the largest coordinated denaturalisation effort in US Department of Justice history

The United States Department of Justice has moved to strip three Nigerian nationals of their American citizenship as part of a sweeping denaturalisation campaign that the agency described as the largest of its kind in recorded history.

The Department announced it had filed denaturalisation actions in various US district courts against 25 individuals between 20 July and 3 August 2026, with complaints covering offences ranging from attempted first-degree murder to aggravated sexual assault of a child. Three of those named are Nigerian nationals.

The Three Nigerians Facing Denaturalization

1. Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan

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Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan, 56, faces a five-count complaint filed on 21 July in the District of Massachusetts. Prosecutors allege he entered the naturalization process under a false identity, having previously been ordered deported under the name Tinosa Joe Aigbedion. He never disclosed that prior identity or the outstanding deportation order during his citizenship proceedings.

2. Yetunde Folake Olaniyi

Yetunde Folake Olaniyi, also 56, faces a seven-count civil complaint filed on 31 July in the District of Maryland. The DOJ alleges that after being ordered removed from the United States, she assumed the identity of Folake Rosemary Thomas and entered a sham marriage with an American citizen while still legally married to a Nigerian national. That fraudulent union formed the basis of her green card application and subsequent naturalisation. A 2014 federal conviction for passport fraud, which came after fingerprint checks exposed her real identity, features prominently in the complaint.

3. Vivian Chike Obichere

Vivian Chike Obichere, 72, faces a four-count action filed on 30 July in the Northern District of California. The DOJ says she made multiple false declarations during her 2013 naturalisation, including denying she had committed crimes for which she was not arrested and claiming she had only used one alias. She later pleaded guilty to false application and use of a passport, admitting she had applied for and used a passport bearing the name and personal details of another person who was a US citizen.

DOJ's Record-Breaking Denaturalization Push

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, naturalised citizenship can be revoked where it was obtained illegally or through the concealment of material facts.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, commenting on the wider batch of filings, said:

"US citizenship is one of our nation's highest privileges, and it must be obtained lawfully and honestly. The complaints announced today allege that these individuals secured naturalization through fraud, concealment, or other unlawful conduct — including by concealing violent crimes, sexual offences against children, fraudulent identities, and other disqualifying facts. Today's filings represent the largest coordinated denaturalization effort in Department history, but they are only the beginning."

Since 20 January 2025, the Justice Department has filed 123 civil denaturalization complaints in total, a figure described as the most in the department's recorded history.

US announces eligibility for Green Card application

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the United States government published a list of eight categories of people who qualify to apply for a permanent resident card, commonly known as a Green Card.

Eligibility ranges from family ties to US citizenship and employment in specialised fields to refugee or asylum status and victims of abuse.