US Names 24 Nigerians in Immigration Crackdown, Lists Alleged Offences
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released the names and photographs of 24 Nigerian nationals arrested by immigration officers over offences ranging from fraud and money laundering to drug-related crimes, assault and child cruelty.
The list, published as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies immigration enforcement, identifies the individuals alongside the offences associated with their cases and the locations where they were arrested across the United States.
According to the department, the arrests were carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as part of efforts to detain and remove non-US citizens targeted under the administration’s enforcement policy.
Wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering feature prominently on the list. Other offences include identity theft, impersonation, drug possession, amphetamine sales, weapons violations, forgery and assault.
Among those named are Emmanuel Omowaiye, arrested in Richmond, Texas, over alleged mail fraud; Olusegun Shonekan, listed in connection with wire fraud in Newark, New Jersey; and Michael Orji, whose listed offences include weapons violations, identity theft, fraud and money laundering.
Others include Newton Jemide, associated with wire fraud, conspiracy and mail fraud; Ifeanyi Ibennah, listed over child cruelty in Tampa, Florida; and Moyinoluwaseun Okeowo, whose case involves larceny, forgery and concealing stolen property in Orlando, Florida.
The arrests span several US states, including Texas, Virginia, New Jersey, Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois, Florida, California and Pennsylvania.
DHS described those featured in its announcement as non-US citizens with criminal records and said the publication formed part of the administration’s wider mass-deportation campaign.
However, the published information does not provide detailed court outcomes for every individual. The offences listed should therefore not automatically be interpreted as convictions in every case, and the announcement does not establish that all 24 have already been deported.
The latest publication follows earlier updates to the US government’s public immigration enforcement list involving Nigerian nationals, highlighting the continuing scrutiny faced by some immigrants under the Trump administration.
The development also underscores the distinction between criminal proceedings and immigration enforcement, as an arrest or criminal case does not, on its own, establish the final outcome of an individual’s immigration status.
