By our reporter 6.10.2026
Two Nigerians other West Africans and Mexicans have been listed for denaturalisation over alleged criminal conducts and concealments of information while filing for US citizenship.
According to the US Department of Justice 40 denaturalisation complaints targeting citizens from 20 countries have been filed between August 21 and October 2, 2026. It is the largest denaturalisation carried out by the Trump administration.
A Nigerian woman Beatrice Chioma Nwaoha Ashamole, 54, faces a complaint filed in the District of Maryland on September 25. She was accused of not disclosing her other names, prior arrests, earlier immigrations issues and deportations while filing for citizenship.
Semiu Olaiye Ijelu, 58, prosecutors have accused of him using two different identities in applications for immigration benefits. Ijelu had previously been ordered to leave the US but allegedly failed to disclose the deportation order when he applied for permanent residency after marrying a US citizen in 2009.
Douglas Chukwuka Eze, whose original nationality was listed as unknown;
A Sierra Leonean national, Ifeolu Samuel Akingbemisilu, 58, filed his case in the Northern District of Georgia on September 18.
He allegedly entered the country under the name Anthony Davies, was ordered removed, then re-entered using a fraudulent British passport and subsequently naturalised through marriage to a US citizen.
Francis Darko Asamoah, 56, from Ghana, faces a September 30 complaint filed in the Eastern District of Virginia.
He is accused of misrepresenting his parental status on his naturalisation application to avoid scrutiny of his marriage to a US citizen.
Anita Moanjeh Atem, a 48-year-old Cameroonian national, is named in a September 25 complaint filed in the District of Maryland.
Prosecutors allege she concealed a history of sexually abusing a minor between 2004 and 2007, before she was naturalised in 2009.
“Today’s announcement marks the largest denaturalisation effort in modern history,” Blanche said.
“From an individual convicted of espionage to others convicted of sexual offences against minors, these defendants concealed critical facts from the US government,” Attorney General Todd Blanche
However human rights organisations and legal experts have raised concerns, warning the process risks leaving individuals stateless and may disproportionately affect specific communities.