FACT-CHECK: Claim that President Tinubu plans to deport 700 Americans from Nigeria is False

Claim: Nigerian President Tinubu to deport 700 Americans residing in Nigeria.

Source: Social Media 

Verdict: False

Researched by Nusrat Essah

A TikTok post by user @realcelebrityblogger claims Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has initiated the deportation of 700 Americans in response to US President Donald Trump’s deportation policy which affects hundreds of Nigerians.

The post, made on January 25, 2025, was captioned: “JUST IN: President Tinubu has begun the process of deporting 700 U.S. citizens residing in Nigeria following reports of President Trump deporting hundreds of Nigerians. In addition, Tinubu has announced a ban on the use of U.S.-made phones, including iPhones, urging Nigerians to switch to alternative brands.”

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The post further attributed this statement to President Tinubu; “We are a sovereign nation, just like the U.S. Nigeria deserves respect from the United States. Two can play this game.”

GhanaFact‘s monitoring showed that the post gathered over 24,000 comments. We observed that among the reactions to the claim was support for Tinubu in one breadth while others doubted the authenticity of the claim. 

The post was also shared on YouTube and Facebook to amplify the narrative.

Screenshots of posts on TikTok

Fact-Check

Government actions in respect of mass deportations typically come with official press releases or announcements, to that end, GhanaFact visited official websites of the Nigerian Government. 

Neither the Nigerian government nor the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has issued any official statements about the alleged deportation of U.S. citizens in Nigeria.

A review of Nigerian and international news sources found no evidence that President Tinubu has ordered the deportation of U.S. citizens. 

Also, the supposed statement attributed to President Tinubu; “We are a sovereign nation, just like the U.S. Nigeria deserves respect from the United States. Two can play this game,” has not appeared in any verified speeches, press conferences, or interviews by the Nigerian leader. 

GhanaFact contacted its focal person in Nigeria, Hamza Ibrahim, who debunked the claim saying it is entirely fake. 

Therefore, the claim that President Tinubu is deporting 700 U.S. citizens from Nigeria is false. 

Verdict

The claim is rated False.