Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has advised Nigerians and other Africans affected by the recent wave of U.S. visa revocations to return home immediately before facing possible arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Posting on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, Sani cautioned that regardless of how long one resides abroad, they would eventually be reminded that it is not their home.
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.”
His comments follow reports that the U.S. State Department has revoked more than 80,000 visas since January 2025 under President Donald Trump’s administration — more than double the number recorded the previous year.
According to the report released last Thursday, the revoked visas include 16,000 for driving under the influence, 12,000 linked to assault, and 8,000 student visas. Other grounds for revocation included terrorism support, criminal activity, overstays, and threats to public safety.
While the nationalities of the affected individuals were not specified, an earlier U.S. government statement in August confirmed that over 6,000 student visas were withdrawn from Nigerians and other African nationals due to overstays, security concerns, and a few cases involving alleged links to extremist activities.
In recent months, the U.S. has tightened its visa policies, implementing stricter background checks and reducing validity periods for some visa categories.
In July, the U.S. Embassy announced that all applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas must now make their social media accounts public for enhanced scrutiny.
That same month, the Embassy introduced new guidelines that reduced the validity duration for several classes of Nigerian visas.
Hobnob News recalls that Sani has consistently advocated for self-reliance and patriotism among Nigerians, urging citizens to contribute to national development rather than seeking greener pastures abroad.
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