“It would be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own,” Tuggar said.
Nigeria will not bow to pressure from the Donald Trump administration to accept Venezuelan deportees, including prisoners, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar has said.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Tuggar stressed Nigeria cannot serve as a dumping ground amid Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“It would be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own; we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria. We already have 230 million people,” he said.
He also addressed Trump’s threat of an extra 10 percent tariff on “anti-American” BRICS nations, saying: “The issue of tariffs may not necessarily have to do with us participating in the BRICS meeting.”
President Bola Tinubu attended the BRICS Summit in Brazil this month. Nigeria joined BRICS+ as a partner in January 2025. Tuggar confirmed Abuja is also engaging Washington over new US visa restrictions on Nigerians.