The Federal Government of Nigeria has firmly restated its refusal to accept deportees from the United States, distancing itself from other African countries like Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan that have agreed to receive foreign nationals expelled by the US under Donald Trump’s revived “third-country deportation” policy.
Speaking to journalists, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, confirmed Nigeria’s firm stance, pointing to national security and economic pressures as the primary reasons for rejecting the arrangement.
In July, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed that the Trump-led US government had been putting significant pressure on African nations to accept deportees, including individuals convicted of crimes and even non-African nationals such as Venezuelans.
“The US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prisons,” Tuggar disclosed.
He called the proposal “unacceptable” and warned it would unfairly burden already struggling nations like Nigeria.
“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,” Tuggar stressed.
While he did not give detailed insight into the diplomatic pressure, his comments follow the US government’s broader immigration crackdown.
In June, the US Department of State revised its visa policy for Nigeria, reducing non-diplomatic visa validity to a single entry within three months, a major shift from previous reciprocity agreements.
Additionally, the Trump administration has threatened countries that resist cooperation on deportations with visa sanctions.
This is backed by Section 243(d) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the US to suspend visa issuance to countries that obstruct repatriation efforts.
In April 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that all visas held by South Sudanese citizens would be revoked, citing the country’s refusal to accept its deported nationals.
“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,” Rubio stated on X (formerly Twitter).
He added that the US would also “prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.”
The US “third-country deportation” policy gained legal backing after a Supreme Court ruling on June 23, 2025, allowing Washington to deport individuals to countries other than their own especially when their home countries refuse to take them back.
According to the Institute for Security Studies, the US paid El Salvador $5 million in March to detain over 250 Venezuelans with suspected gang ties in a maximum-security prison notorious for human rights abuses.
The policy has since expanded into Africa. South Sudan accepted eight deportees in July, followed by Eswatini, which received five from countries like Vietnam, Cuba, and Yemen.
Rwanda has also agreed to take up to 250 deportees under a controlled framework.
Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo confirmed the deal to CNN, stating:
“We agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants,” while emphasizing that the government would vet each case before approval.
She added: “When approved, the migrants will be provided with workforce training, health care, and accommodation support to jump-start their lives in Rwanda,” enabling them to “contribute to one of the fastest growing economies in the world over the last decade.”
In his interview, Ebienfa reiterated Nigeria’s opposition to the arrangement, citing the country’s domestic challenges and sovereign decision-making.
“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,” he added.
Ebienfa stressed that accepting such deportees would amount to taking on “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 also pointed out Nigeria’s strategic global importance, including major projects such as the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline and valuable rare earth mineral deposits.
“Our national interest, as it stands now, is not favourably disposed to accepting deportees from the American government.”
Retired diplomats have also thrown their weight behind the government’s decision.
Ambassador Ogbole Amedu-Ode questioned the US logic behind deporting individuals to countries they are not originally from.
“Why deport the citizens of a country, say Venezuela, to another country like Nigeria? The logic and rationale behind this are totally lost on me.”
He praised Tuggar’s stance, calling it “a response with dignity.”
“There’s certainly no merit in Mr. Trump’s new visa regime when viewed from the principle of sovereign equality of states.”
“Since diplomacy is largely a game of reciprocity, Nigerians should request an exchange agreement, receive Venezuelan deportees in exchange for repentant Boko Haram operatives to be ‘exported’ to them.”
Also weighing in, Ambassador Rasheed Akinkuolie said that decisions by other countries to accept deportees were their internal matters.
“The decision of some African countries to accept deportees is an internal and private affair, which no other country can make logical comments on.”
He made it clear that Nigeria would only accept its own citizens, not foreigners with unclear backgrounds.
“Nigeria cannot take deportees of another nationality, whose identity and background are not known. What if these people are criminals?”
Akinkuolie drew parallels with how Nigeria handles illegal entries:
“People who qualify are still being issued visas to the US. Those who do not meet certain criteria may be denied. Nigeria also does the same to undesirable people.”
He recalled an incident where foreigners entered Nigeria illegally and formed a criminal gang, saying they were either deported or prosecuted.
“What the USA is doing may be in its national interest, who knows?” he concluded.
