Come back before you’re arrested, Shehu Sani tells Nigerians with revoked US visas
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has advised Nigerians and other Africans whose visas were recently cancelled by the United States government to return home immediately to avoid potential arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a post shared on his X handle on Monday, Sani reminded those affected that regardless of how long they’ve lived abroad, they would always be treated as outsiders.
He wrote, “Nigerians and other thousands of Africans whose visas were recently revoked by President Trump should hasten and leave the country and return home before they get arrested by ICE.
“No matter how long you live in the comfort of your adopted home, you will someday be reminded that it’s not your father’s house.”
The US State Department has revoked more than 80,000 visas since January 2025 under President Donald Trump’s administration — more than double the number withdrawn the previous year.
According to a report released last Thursday, the affected visas include 16,000 connected to driving under the influence, 12,000 for assault-related offences, and 8,000 student visas.
The department also cited other reasons for the mass revocations, such as links to terrorism, criminal conduct, public safety risks, visa overstays, and direct involvement in terrorist activities.
While the US government did not release the nationalities of those affected, an earlier statement in August revealed that over 6,000 student visas had been cancelled due to overstays and legal breaches, with a few cases tied to “support for terrorism.”
In July, the US Embassy ordered all applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas to make their social media accounts public for enhanced screening.
That same month, it also implemented new visa rules for Nigerians, including a shorter validity period for several visa categories.
