US Moves to Revoke American Citizenship of 2 Nigerians, Releases Their Names and Alleged Offences
- The US Department of Justice named two Nigerians among 40 people it is seeking to denaturalise in what it called the largest single-period denaturalisation push
- Beatrice Chioma Nwaoha Ashamole and Semiu Olaiye Ijelu both face allegations of immigration fraud tied to their naturalisation proceedings
- Both Nigerians are accused of hiding prior deportation orders, false identities, and other disqualifying information from immigration authorities
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The United States Department of Justice has moved to strip two Nigerians of their American citizenship as part of a sweeping denaturalisation effort targeting 40 individuals across multiple federal districts.
The DOJ announced the cases on Monday, October 5, 2026, describing the push as the largest single-period denaturalisation filing in the country's history.
Source: Getty Images
The two Nigerians named are Beatrice Chioma Nwaoha Ashamole, 54, and Semiu Olaiye Ijelu, 58.
Beatrice Chioma Nwaoha Ashamole
The DOJ filed a complaint against Ashamole in the District of Maryland on September 25, 2026.
According to the complaint, Ashamole failed throughout her naturalisation proceedings to disclose prior aliases, prior arrests, a previous immigration benefits application, and prior exclusions and deportations, even though her application explicitly asked for that information.
The United States is charging her with illegally obtaining her naturalisation through fraud and false testimony.
Semiu Olaiye Ijelu
A separate complaint was filed against Ijelu on October 2, 2026, in the Northern District of Georgia. Court documents allege that Ijelu, also known as Samiu O. Ijelu and Olaiya S. Ijely, sought immigration benefits under two separate identities before being ordered removed from the United States.
Rather than leaving the country as ordered, Ijelu allegedly married a US citizen, used that marriage to gain permanent resident status, and went on to naturalise in 2009. During his naturalisation proceedings, he did not disclose the other identities he had used or the removal order that had been issued against him.
The DOJ says the court should revoke Ijelu's citizenship because he did not lawfully adjust his immigration status, did not meet the good moral character requirement for naturalisation, and obtained his citizenship by hiding key facts and making false representations.
The department noted that the claims in all 40 complaints are allegations only, and that no determination of liability has been made.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that the US had announced the names of eight Africans whose American citizenship it seeks to revoke.
US moves to strip citizenship of 40 people
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the US had moved to revoke the American citizenship of 40 naturalised citizens.
The full announcement confirmed that cases were filed in federal courts across the country, with individuals from more than 20 nations named.
Two Nigerians appear on the list.
Source: Legit.ng
