US arrests two Nigerians over illegal voting, false citizenship claims

The United States Department of Justice DOJ has charged two Nigerian nationals and other suspects with election-related offences, including illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration and falsely claiming American citizenship to vote in federal elections.

The department announced the arrests and charges on Monday as the Donald Trump administration intensified efforts to prosecute suspected electoral offences.

The Nigerians named in the cases are 61-year-old Mohammed Omar Hassan and 74-year-old Michael Agah.

The DOJ said Hassan faces charges in the Southern District of Texas for voting as a non-citizen. Agah faces charges in the Western District of North Carolina for voting as a non-citizen and falsely claiming US citizenship to participate in an election.

According to the department, Hassan, a lawful permanent resident, allegedly voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

The DOJ said it charged him with voting by an alien.

Agah, also a lawful permanent resident, faces charges of illegal voting and making a false claim to American citizenship to vote.

The department accused him of falsely declaring himself a US citizen on an Authorization to Vote Form.

It said Agah voted in a federal election on November 5, 2024.

Attorney General Todd Blanche described the announcement as the biggest surge in voter-fraud arrests since Trump returned to office.