The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed civil denaturalization actions against 25 naturalized U.S. citizens, including three Nigerians, alleging they fraudulently obtained American citizenship through false identities, sham marriages, concealment of material facts or other forms of misrepresentation.
The department said the complaints, filed between July 20 and Aug. 3, 2026, form part of what it described as the largest coordinated denaturalization effort in its history.
The three Nigerians named in the filings are Jonathan Omorogieva Obasohan, Yetunde Folake Olaniyi and Vivian Chike Obichere.
According to the DOJ, the cases involve allegations that the individuals obtained U.S. citizenship through fraud, concealment of material facts or willful misrepresentation during the naturalization process.
The department noted that under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized citizen’s citizenship may be revoked if it was illegally procured or obtained through concealment of material facts or intentional misrepresentation.
It added that since Jan. 20, 2025, it has filed 123 civil denaturalization complaints, the highest number recorded in U.S. history.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said U.S. citizenship is one of the country’s highest privileges and must be obtained lawfully.
“The complaints announced today allege that these individuals secured naturalization through fraud, concealment, or other unlawful conduct,” Blanche said.
He added that the latest filings marked the beginning of sustained efforts to protect the integrity of the naturalization process and public safety.
Also commenting, Brett A. Shumate described the coordinated action as the largest denaturalization surge in recorded history.
- Allegations Against the Nigerians
The DOJ said Obasohan, a Nigerian national, allegedly obtained U.S. citizenship under a false identity after previously being ordered deported under another name.
According to court filings in the District of Massachusetts, he allegedly failed to disclose that he had previously used the name Tinosa Joe Aigbedion and that an outstanding deportation order had been issued against him.
The department is seeking to revoke his citizenship on allegations that he was statutorily ineligible for naturalization, unlawfully obtained permanent residency and made material misrepresentations to immigration authorities.
In a separate case filed in the District of Maryland, the DOJ alleged that Olaniyi, who also used the name Folake Rosemary Thomas, evaded a removal order by assuming another identity and entering into what prosecutors described as a sham marriage with a U.S. citizen while allegedly still married to another Nigerian citizen.
The department said she later obtained lawful permanent residency and eventually U.S. citizenship under the assumed identity.
According to the complaint, fingerprint checks later revealed her true identity, leading to her 2014 federal conviction for passport fraud.
The DOJ argues that she was not legally eligible for either permanent residency or naturalization and made multiple material misrepresentations during the immigration process.
In the third case, filed in the Northern District of California, prosecutors alleged that Obichere falsely stated during her naturalization proceedings that she had not committed undisclosed crimes, had used only one alias, had not taken certain international trips and had not provided misleading information to U.S. authorities.
The department said she later pleaded guilty to making false statements in a passport application and admitted concealing that she had previously used the identity and passport information of another U.S. citizen.
Based on those admissions, the DOJ is seeking the revocation of her citizenship on grounds that she failed to establish the good moral character required for naturalization and allegedly obtained citizenship through concealment and willful misrepresentation.
The denaturalization complaints are civil proceedings. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the individuals remain entitled to contest the government’s claims through the judicial process.
