The United States Embassy in Nigeria has reportedly begun quietly revoking valid visas previously issued to Nigerian citizens, leaving professionals, entrepreneurs, frequent travellers, and families stranded with cancelled plans and mounting financial losses.
Former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye, raised the alarm in an article on Sunday titled “The Quiet Revocation: Why is the U.S. Silently Cancelling Nigerians’ Visas?”
According to him, several Nigerians have recently received official letters from the embassy instructing them to submit their passports at its Lagos or Abuja offices, only for their visas to be cancelled without explanation.
The notices, citing Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 41.122, vaguely stated that “new information became available after the visa was issued,” but offered no details, evidence, or right of appeal.
Those affected reportedly include a prominent journalist, the head of a federal government agency billed to deliver an international address, and an Abuja-based entrepreneur with a clean travel record. Others are professionals and frequent travellers who depend on U.S. visas for education, family visits, medical treatment, and business engagements.
The sudden cancellations forced many to abandon trips, refund tickets, and explain missed meetings to partners. In some cases, travellers only discovered the cancellations at airports, with a few briefly detained before being turned back.
Neither the U.S. Embassy nor Nigerian authorities have issued an official statement on the matter, leaving affected citizens in uncertainty. Many insist they have never overstayed visas, broken immigration rules, or posed security risks, sparking fears of a silent but deliberate tightening of U.S. visa policy against Nigerians.
