Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, has firmly stated that the country will not accept Venezuelan deportees from the United States, particularly those being released from American prisons.
Speaking during a televised interview on Thursday, Tuggar responded to reports that the U.S. is pressuring some African countries to receive Venezuelan deportees as part of its immigration enforcement actions.
“It would be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners,” the minister said. “We have enough problems of our own. We cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria. We already have 230 million people.”
This development comes amid renewed tensions in Nigeria-U.S. visa relations. There had been speculation that Nigeria’s refusal to accept certain deportees contributed to recent visa restrictions imposed by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. The Trump-era decision cited alleged failures in visa reciprocity, although specific details were not made public.
At the time, claims surfaced that Nigeria had stopped issuing five-year multiple-entry visas to U.S. citizens — a claim that has now been debunked. Tuggar clarified that Nigeria is actively engaging with the U.S. to resolve the visa policy concerns.
“What Nigeria has done differently is simple,” he explained. “We used to have visa-on-arrival, which wasn’t running efficiently. Now, we’ve introduced online electronic visas that allow applicants to complete the process remotely before flying in. It saves time and improves efficiency.”
He added that Nigeria maintains various visa categories tailored to the purpose and profile of each traveler.
“There are first-time travelers who get short-stay visas, like the 90-day tourist visas. But we still issue long-term visas to many American citizens. It’s not a blanket restriction.”
Despite the ongoing diplomatic engagement, Tuggar reiterated that Nigeria will not serve as a dumping ground for foreign deportees or criminals.
“Nigeria has made it clear: we will not accept Venezuelan deportees, especially prisoners, from the United States. We urge the U.S. to reconsider such proposals in the spirit of partnership, mutual respect, and shared global responsibility,” he said.