U.S. Moves to Strip Three Nigerians of Citizenship

​WASHINGTON — In what federal authorities are calling the largest coordinated denaturalization surge in U.S. history, the United States Department of Justice has launched civil lawsuits against 25 naturalized citizens, including three Nigerian nationals.

​The sweeping legal actions target individuals accused of severe offenses—ranging from attempted first-degree murder and child sexual assault to identity fraud and sham marriages. Filed across multiple federal district courts between July 20 and August 3, the latest wave brings the total number of civil denaturalization complaints filed under the current administration to 123.

​Cracking Down on Immigration Fraud

​Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, naturalized U.S. citizenship can be legally revoked and certificates canceled if the status was unlawfully procured through the concealment of material facts or willful misrepresentation.

​Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the administration’s zero-tolerance stance. “U.S. citizenship is one of our nation’s highest privileges, and it must be obtained lawfully and honestly,” Blanche said. “The complaints announced today allege that these individuals secured naturalization through fraud, concealment, or other unlawful conduct—including by concealing violent crimes, sexual offenses against children, fraudulent identities, and other disqualifying facts.”

​Details of the Cases Against the Three Nigerians

​Federal prosecutors have outlined specific, intricate schemes involving identity substitution and fraudulent marriages against the three Nigerian defendants:

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• ​Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan (56): Filing in the District of Massachusetts on July 21, the DOJ initiated a five-count complaint against Obasohan. According to court documents, he obtained permanent residency and subsequent citizenship under his current name while concealing that he was already subject to an active deportation order under the alias Tinosa Joe Aigbedion. Prosecutors state he never disclosed his prior identity or pending removal order during naturalization proceedings.

• ​Yetunde Folake Olaniyi (56): Also known as Folake Rosemary Thomas, Olaniyi faces a seven-count civil complaint filed July 31 in the District of Maryland. Authorities claim that after evading a scheduled deportation flight, she adopted a new identity, entered into a bigamous sham marriage with a U.S. citizen (while still legally married to another Nigerian citizen), and fraudulently secured a green card. She later naturalized under the alias before federal fingerprint checks exposed her true identity, leading to a 2014 passport fraud conviction.

• ​Vivian Chike Obichere (72): Facing a denaturalization lawsuit filed July 30 in the Northern District of California, Obichere naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2013. Court records show she falsely attested that she had never used undisclosed aliases or provided misleading information to officials. She later pleaded guilty to passport fraud after admitting she used the identity and credentials of a born U.S. citizen.

​Broad Enforcement Strategy

​Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Civil Division noted that the sweep targets individuals whose actions fundamentally conflict with the responsibilities of American citizenship.

​The Justice Department has signaled that these filings are only part of an ongoing, aggressive campaign to preserve the integrity of the nation’s immigration and naturalization systems.