US-based Nigerian risks denaturalisation over identity fraud allegations

A United States (US)-based Nigerian-born man currently faces denaturalisation over identity fraud allegations.

According to a recent press release by the US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, it has filed denaturalization actions in various US district courts against 12 individuals, including a 66-year old Nigerian born George Oyakhire who alledgedly obtained citizenship under false identity.

This comes as the administration of President Donald Trump recently expanded its efforts to revoke the citizenship of foreign-born Americans, with a new wave of denaturalisation cases filed against individuals accused of fraud, including terrorism-related activities and serious financial crimes.

Denaturalisation is the legal process of revoking citizenship obtained through naturalisation, and requires proceedings in a federal court.

Read also: Nigerians with fraudulent naturalisation applications to be stripped of their US citizenship

According to officials, the individuals allegedly concealed important information during their immigration applications or engaged in conduct that would have made them ineligible for US citizenship.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the citizenship of a naturalised US citizen may be revoked and the individual’s certificate of naturalisation cancelled if the citizenship was obtained illegally or through the concealment of a material fact or deliberate misrepresentation.

“Individuals implicated in committing fraud, heinous crimes such as sexual abuse, or expressing support for terrorism should never have been naturalized as United States citizens,” said General Todd Blanche, acting attorney. “The Trump administration is taking action to correct these egregious violations of our immigration system. Those who intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process will face the fullest extent of the law.”

General Brett A. Shumate, assistant attorney of the Justice Department’s Civil Division similarly notes, “This Department of Justice continues to file denaturalization actions at record speeds to restore integrity in our naturalization process. The disturbing criminal histories confirm these individuals should have never received the privilege of US citizenship.  We remain committed to leveraging every tool available under the law to pursue those who obtain their U.S. citizenship unlawfully.”

Read also: Your US citizenship can be taken away: here’s why

The case

The case against Oyakhire states that he entered the United States on October 18, 1986, using a visa issued in his true name, George Ofuan Oyakhire.

Approximately two years later, on September 2, 1988, Oyakhire obtained temporary resident status alledgedly using a false name, “Oliver Bennett Oyakhire,” and a false date of birth.  On December 1, 1990, Oyakhire adjusted his status to that of a lawful permanent resident using the false Oliver Bennett Oyakhire identity.  On September 12, 1995, again using the false Oliver Bennett Oyakhire identity, Oyakhire filed an application for naturalization, which was approved on March 22, 1996.  On April 22, 1996, Oyakhire became a naturalized citizen, under the false name Oliver Bennett Oyakhire.

The other 11 persons facing other denaturalisation  cases are: Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, 48, Iraq, Oscar Alberto Pelaez, 75, Colombia, Khalid Ouazzani, 48, Morocco, Salah Osman Ahmed, 43, Somalia, Baboucarr Mboob, 58, Gambia, Kevin Robin Suarez, 31, Bolivia, Abduvosit Razikov, 46, Uzbekistan, Abdallah Osman Sheikh, 28, Kenya, Debashis Ghosh, 62, India, Pin He, 53, China, and Victor Manuel Rocha, 75, Colombia

These cases were filed by the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation in collaboration with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and federal prosecutors across several states.

Between 1990 and 2017, US authorities filed just over 300 denaturalisation cases, averaging around 11 annually, making the latest expansion significant in scale.#

Read also:US slashes fee for Americans to give up citizenship by 80%

Under US law, the government must meet a high legal standard by proving that an individual intentionally misrepresented or concealed material facts during the naturalisation process.

The Trump administration has increasingly positioned denaturalisation as part of a broader immigration enforcement strategy. Officials argue that citizenship obtained through deception “undermines the integrity of the immigration system” and should be revoked when proven in court.

The announcement comes amid broader efforts to strengthen immigration enforcement, including stricter background checks and renewed reviews of older immigration files for possible fraud.

Civil liberties groups have previously warned that expanding denaturalisation efforts could create uncertainty within immigrant communities and discourage eligible residents from applying for citizenship.

Officials did not disclose how many of the ongoing cases could eventually lead to criminal charges or deportation proceedings.