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The United States has added Nigeria to a list of countries facing partial travel restrictions, citing security challenges, documentation issues and visa overstay concerns, according to a presidential proclamation released by the White House on Tuesday.
Nigeria is among 15 countries, mostly from Africa, now subject to partial travel suspensions. Others listed include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In explaining Nigeria’s inclusion, the White House said the activities of extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in certain parts of the country pose significant screening and vetting challenges for US immigration authorities.
“Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial screening and vetting difficulties,” the White House stated.
The proclamation also cited visa overstay data, noting that Nigeria recorded a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent, while F, M and J visa categories had an overstay rate of 11.90 percent, according to the US Overstay Report.
The development comes amid broader changes to the US travel restriction regime. Turkmenistan was removed from the list after demonstrating “significant progress in improving its identity management and information-sharing procedures.”
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger were placed under full travel restrictions due to what the White House described as the active operations of terrorist organisations within their borders. South Sudan and Syria were also added to the full suspension list.
Countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen remain under full restrictions, while Laos and Sierra Leone were upgraded from partial to full suspension.
The White House defended the measures, stating that it is the president’s responsibility to protect Americans by ensuring that individuals entering the country do not pose security risks.
“It is the President’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people,” the statement said.
Nigeria’s addition follows months of diplomatic tension over security, religious freedom and visa policies. In October, President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged religious persecution. The US has also announced targeted visa restrictions against Nigerians accused of undermining religious freedom.
Despite the restrictions, US officials have indicated ongoing discussions with Nigerian authorities, including talks on a proposed strategic security framework aimed at combating terrorism in West Africa.
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