THE NIGERIA-BASED Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, a coalition comprising civil society, trade unions, women, and youth groups, has commended the Nigerian government for rejecting a United States (US) proposal to deport Venezuelan migrants to Nigeria.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, had disclosed the US request, stating that Nigeria would not accept Venezuelan deportees, particularly prisoners, as the country faces its own internal challenges.
“It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners. We have enough problems of our own,” Tuggar said.
The coalition, in a press statement, described the US move as a violation of international law and an affront to human dignity. It also condemned what it termed “vicious attacks on immigrants” by the Donald Trump administration.
The group praised Nigeria’s stance, emphasizing that the decision reinforces the nation’s sovereignty and commitment to diplomatic ethics.
“Nigeria has no bilateral arrangement requiring it to accept deportees or prisoners who are neither its citizens nor have legal ties to the country or the African continent,” the statement read. The coalition further urged other African nations to resist what it called a “neo-colonial world order” allegedly being imposed by the US.
The statement also criticized US sanctions against Venezuela, attributing the migration crisis to economic hardships caused by these measures. It called on the US to lift sanctions against President Nicolás Maduro’s government, which it described as democratically elected.
“The root cause of the crisis in Venezuela is the US sanctions, forcing citizens to flee in search of better opportunities,” the coalition asserted.
The coalition accused the Trump administration of engaging in “new human slavery” by deporting over 300 Venezuelans to El Salvador in March 2025, allegedly after offering the Salvadoran government a $6 million incentive.
Signatories to the statement include Comrade Gerald O. Katchy of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Comrade Dimeji Macaulay of the Anti-Fascist Movement, Comrade Blessing Yusuf of the Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON), Mr. Charles A. Chibuike of Committed Advocates of Integrity Initiative (CADII), and Mr. Abiodun Emmanuel Fayemi of the African Farmers and Agricultural Practitioners (AFAP).
The coalition called on global citizens to resist what it termed “neo-fascist and neo-colonial” policies, urging solidarity with Venezuela and other nations facing similar pressures.
