ABUJA — The United States government has defended the sudden wave of visa revocations affecting Nigerians with previously valid U.S. visas, insisting the move is necessary to safeguard its national security and protect American citizens.
This comes as the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, on Tuesday, issued an updated security alert, cautioning its citizens against visiting military and government facilities in Abuja and other parts of the country due to “continued security concerns.”
Reports earlier this week revealed that the Embassy had quietly begun cancelling visas belonging to Nigerian students, business professionals, frequent travelers, and families — many of whom were notified without prior warning.
Former NNPC spokesperson, Femi Soneye, raised the alarm, noting that dozens of Nigerians had contacted him after receiving letters instructing them to submit their passports at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos or Abuja, only for their visas to be cancelled.
“In recent weeks, an unsettling trend has quietly unfolded: the United States Embassy in Nigeria has begun revoking valid visas previously issued to Nigerian citizens. This is not rumour or speculation,” Soneye said.
Responding to the backlash, a U.S. Embassy spokesperson told BBC News Pidgin that the revocations were being conducted “on a scale never seen before” as part of border security measures.
Citing Section 221(i) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the Embassy stressed that both the Secretary of State and consular officers have the authority to revoke visas at any time if there are “indications of potential ineligibility.”
“We use all the information we get to do this in a scale never seen before in order to keep American borders secure and American communities safe,” the Embassy stated.
The spokesperson further linked the decision to broader security strategies under U.S. immigration laws, which allow visa cancellations in cases of overstays, criminal activity, terrorism links, or other violations.
Meanwhile, the new travel advisory warned U.S. citizens in Nigeria to avoid unnecessary visits to military and government facilities, citing recent incidents around such locations. The advisory urged Americans to stay alert, avoid large gatherings, and review personal security plans.
The Embassy’s repeated warnings this year — including advisories on the Abuja National Mosque in March, the Mogadishu Barracks explosion in May, and the Ashura commemoration in July — highlight mounting U.S. concerns over Nigeria’s security landscape.
The latest alert, dated September 2, 2025, links the restrictions to “broader global security developments” and reinforces existing restrictions already imposed on U.S. Mission staff.
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