US arrests two Nigerians over alleged illegal voting, false claims of American citizenship

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has arrested two Nigerian nationals over alleged illegal voting, voter registration fraud and falsely claiming American citizenship to participate in federal elections.

The department announced the arrests in a statement on Monday as it intensified its crackdown on suspected election-related offences.

The two Nigerians were identified as 61-year-old Mohammed Omar Hassan and 74-year-old Michael Agah, both lawful permanent residents of the United States.

According to the DOJ, Hassan was charged in the Southern District of Texas with voting as a non-citizen, allegedly participating in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

“Nigerian national Mohammed Omar Hassan, 61, a lawful permanent resident, has been charged with voting by an alien. Hassan allegedly voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections,” the statement read.

The department said Agah was charged in the Western District of North Carolina with voting as a non-citizen and falsely claiming to be an American citizen to participate in an election.

He was accused of falsely declaring himself a US citizen on an Authorisation to Vote Form before allegedly voting in a federal election on November 5, 2024.

Speaking on the development, US Attorney General Todd Blanche described the announcement as the biggest surge in voter-fraud arrests since President Donald Trump returned to office.