The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched what it described as the largest coordinated denaturalisation effort in its history, targeting 25 naturalised citizens from 17 countries, including three Nigerians accused of obtaining US citizenship through fraud, concealment and other unlawful means.
The civil denaturalisation cases were filed in various US district courts between July 20 and August 3, 2026, as part of the administration of President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on alleged immigration fraud and abuse of the naturalisation process.
The three Nigerians named in the cases are Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan, 56; Yetunde Folake Olaniyi, 56, also known as Folake Rosemary Thomas; and Vivian Chike Obichere, 72.
The DOJ said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described US citizenship as one of the country’s highest privileges, stressing that it must be obtained lawfully.
Blanche said the latest cases involved individuals accused of concealing violent crimes, child sexual offences, fraudulent identities and other information that could have made them ineligible for US citizenship.
“Today’s filings represent the largest coordinated denaturalization effort in Department history, but they are only the beginning,” he said.
He added that the department would continue using available legal measures to protect the integrity of the naturalisation process and the safety of Americans.
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Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate described the development as the biggest denaturalisation surge on record.
“Every one of these individuals committed crimes incompatible with U.S. citizenship,” he said.
According to the DOJ, it has filed 123 civil denaturalisation complaints since January 20, 2025, which it described as the highest number ever recorded.
Under the US Immigration and Nationality Act, naturalised citizenship can be revoked where it was illegally obtained or procured through concealment of material facts or deliberate misrepresentation.
The DOJ alleged that Obasohan obtained US citizenship after concealing a previous identity and an existing deportation order issued against him under another name.
According to court documents, the US government filed a five-count complaint against him on July 21 in the District of Massachusetts.
The DOJ said Obasohan, a Nigerian national, had previously been ordered deported from the US under the name Tinosa Joe Aigbedion.
It alleged that before becoming a permanent resident and subsequently naturalising as a US citizen under the name Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan, he failed to disclose his previous identity and the deportation order during his immigration and naturalisation proceedings.
The government is seeking to revoke his citizenship on grounds that he was statutorily ineligible to naturalise, did not lawfully obtain permanent residence and made material misrepresentations to immigration officials.
The DOJ also filed a denaturalisation case on July 31 in the District of Maryland against Yetunde Folake Olaniyi, also known as Folake Rosemary Thomas.
Olaniyi is accused of concealing her identity, entering into a sham marriage with a US citizen and using false representations to obtain immigration benefits.
The department alleged that Olaniyi had previously been ordered removed from the US but failed to report for her scheduled removal.
It said she subsequently adopted the identity of Folake Rosemary Thomas and entered into a marriage with a US citizen despite already being married to another Nigerian.
Through the marriage and concealment of her identity, she allegedly obtained a green card as the spouse of a US citizen.
Three years later, she naturalised as Folake Rosemary Thomas.
The DOJ said Olaniyi was convicted in federal court in 2014 for passport fraud after fingerprint checks exposed her true identity.
The government’s seven-count civil complaint alleges that she was ineligible for both the spousal green card and subsequent naturalisation because the marriage was fraudulent and legally invalid.
It also alleged that she made several deliberate misrepresentations of material facts and lacked the good moral character required for naturalisation.
Vivian Obichere
The third Nigerian named in the crackdown is Vivian Chike Obichere, 72.
The DOJ filed a denaturalisation action against her on July 30 in the Northern District of California.
Obichere, who naturalised as a US citizen in 2013, is accused of concealing information during her naturalisation process, including the use of another person’s identity in obtaining a US passport.
The department said she had represented during her naturalisation proceedings that she had never committed certain crimes for which she was not arrested, had used only one alias in the US, had not made undisclosed trips outside the country during the relevant period and had never provided misleading information to US officials.
The DOJ said Obichere later pleaded guilty to false application and use of a passport and admitted that some of the representations made during her naturalisation process were false.
It alleged that she had concealed her previous application for and use of a passport bearing the name and identifying information of another person who was a US citizen.
The department is seeking to revoke her naturalisation on grounds including statutory ineligibility, lack of the required good moral character and illegal procurement of citizenship through concealment of material facts or deliberate misrepresentation.
The three Nigerians are among 25 naturalised US citizens from 17 countries targeted in the latest coordinated action.
Others named in the lawsuits are nationals of Pakistan, Moldova, India, Mexico, Colombia, Liberia, Ghana, Jamaica, Taiwan, Honduras, Cameroon, Jordan, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, Sweden and Peru.
The DOJ said the cases were part of its intensified effort to identify and prosecute individuals who allegedly deceived federal authorities in order to obtain US citizenship.
However, the denaturalisation proceedings remain civil actions, meaning the allegations contained in the complaints have yet to be finally determined by the courts.
