Leadnaija
Disinformation has continued to spread about the many executive orders signed by Donald Trump, president of the United States of America, after his second inauguration into office.
One of Trump’s executive orders focuses on the accelerated deportation of illegal immigrants from America. Thousands of illegal migrants, including 3,690 Nigerians, are currently on the eviction flights.
On the heels of this, Emifehub, a TikTok user, has claimed that Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, will also expel about 700 US citizens living in Nigeria, as a retaliatory reaction to the deportation of Nigerians from the US.
The TikToker claimed that Tinubu had not only begun the repatriation but also imposed a ban on US-made mobile phones, including iPhones.
The claim also suggested that the deportation of Nigerians from the US was linked to Nigeria’s recent partnership with BRICS, a political and economic group formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has begun the process of deporting over 700 US citizens residing in Nigeria. This comes following reports that over 3,600 Nigerians in the US have been deported,” the user stated.Tap Here To Read Full Details
“In response to that, Nigeria’s president has reportedly initiated the process of expelling more than 700 US citizens residing in Nigeria. Additionally, there are claims that President Tinubu has imposed a ban on US-made mobile phones, including iPhones.
“While these reports circulate, reactions from Nigerians suggest great concern, with many attributing the situation to Nigeria’s recent involvement with BRICS.”
The TikTok user said Nigeria is targeting a $1.3 trillion economy by 2030.
This post has been liked 4,548 times, bookmarked 466 times and commented on 306 times since Sunday.
The reactions from the comments alternated between joy over the eviction of Americans from Nigeria, disbelief over the authenticity of the news and questions on what this could mean for Nigeria.
Screenshots of some of the comments.
The claims are also found here, here and here.
CLAIMS
- Repatriation of 700 US citizens living in Nigeria.
- Ban on US-made phones including the iPhone.
- Nigerians getting deported because Nigeria joined BRICS.
VERIFICATION
To verify these three claims, FIJ checked the State House, the media arm of the Nigerian President, and found nothing on the eviction of American migrants from the country. Nothing like this was published on the Presidency’s X page.
Rather, FIJ found that in a January 28 media chat with journalists, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, disclosed that 828 foreigners were deported from Nigeria by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in 2024.
These evictions happened before the US president signed the executive order on illegal immigration, and Tunji-Ojo did not name their nationalities or if their expulsion was made in retaliation to US migration policies.
FIJ checked the TikTok user’s claim on the ban on US-made phones including the iPhone. There were no verified reports or statements on a ban. The presidential media did not issue any statement imposing bans on gadgets or devices from the US.
Lastly, the TikToker claimed that Nigerians were getting deported due to their country’s recent membership with BRICS. FIJ found this claim to be false. According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), citizens from different countries were earmarked for the final removal, not only Nigerians or BRICS-affiliated citizens as the TikTok user claimed.
CONCLUSION
President Tinubu did not order the eviction of 700 US citizens in Nigeria or impose a ban on US-made phones. Also, Nigerians are not being deported from the US due to their country’s affiliation with BRICS.
VERDICT
All the claims made by the TikTok user and others in the video are false and misleading.
