By JKNewsMedia
STRONG BACKING has emerged from a coalition of civil society organisations after the Federal Government rejected a United States (US) attempt to deport Venezuelan nationals to West Africa.
The groups, under the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign in Nigeria – including trade unions, youth platforms, and women’s associations – commended the decisive stance taken by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar.
Ambassador Tuggar stated firmly that “it will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own.”
The group notes that the minister’s comments highlighted concerns over sovereignty, legal responsibility, and Nigeria’s existing domestic challenges.
The coalition also condemned what it described as a violation of international law and human dignity.
It criticised the President Donald Trump administration’s deportation policy, describing the request for Nigeria to accept Venezuelan deportees as “insulting” and contrary to established diplomatic norms.
They warned that any such move would be firmly resisted, affirming Nigeria’s right to reject foreign impositions.
Without any legal or bilateral framework to support the transfer of non-Nigerian nationals, the group argued that accepting deportees with no ties to Nigeria or Africa was unjustifiable.
The attempt was portrayed as part of a broader neo-colonial pattern that seeks to offload global migration issues onto the African continent.
A direct call was issued to other African governments to resist similar pressures, rejecting what they called a “neo-colonial world order” driven by an “unstable Trump administration.”
The solidarity campaign also demanded the removal of US-imposed sanctions on Venezuela, describing them as the core driver of the country’s economic and humanitarian crisis.
The statement urged President Donald Trump and US political actors to respect the legitimacy of Venezuela’s democratically elected government under President Nicolás Maduro.
The groups further cautioned that any effort to undermine an elected administration could destabilise global democratic norms and fuel further conflict.
Attention was also drawn to a reported operation in March 2025 when over 300 Venezuelans were deported from the US to El Salvador.
The coalition alleged that the US offered a $6 million inducement to the Salvadoran government under President Nayib Bukele in exchange for accepting the deportees.
This act, they warned, signalled the rise of a new form of human slavery under the guise of immigration control.
The statement was endorsed by key civil society figures, including Comrade Gerald O. Katchy, National Secretary of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, and Comrade Dimeji Macaulay, Coordinator of the Anti-Fascist Movement, alongside others.
They note that their collective voice was to stress a resolute stand against forced deportations as they called for renewed global respect for sovereignty and human dignity.
