The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed denaturalization actions in multiple federal district courts against 12 individuals on Friday, May 8, 2026, including a Nigerian national accused of obtaining citizenship under a fabricated identity.
The 12 individuals face allegations ranging from providing material support to a terrorist organisation and committing war crimes to sexually abusing a minor. The DOJ announced the actions in a press release, describing the cases as part of an accelerated effort to reverse unlawful naturalisations.
The Nigerian national identified in the filing is George Oyakhire, born in Nigeria, who first entered the United States on October 18, 1986, using a visa issued under his actual name, George Ofuan Oyakhire. Approximately two years later, on September 2, 1988, he obtained temporary resident status under the false name Oliver Bennett Oyakhire, accompanied by a false date of birth.
Oyakhire subsequently adjusted his status to lawful permanent resident on December 1, 1990, using the same fabricated identity. He filed a naturalisation application under the false name on September 12, 1995, which was approved on March 22, 1996. He became a naturalised citizen on April 22, 1996, under the identity Oliver Bennett Oyakhire.
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) permits revocation of citizenship and cancellation of a naturalisation certificate where citizenship was illegally procured or obtained through concealment of a material fact or wilful misrepresentation.
“The Trump administration is taking action to correct these egregious violations,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said individuals who concealed criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalisation process would face the full extent of the law.
The cases were prosecuted by the DOJ’s Office of Immigration Litigation, Affirmative Litigation Unit, with assistance from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and US Attorneys’ Offices across multiple districts, including Arizona, Florida, California, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Illinois.
