(MENAFN) Nigeria has firmly declined to succumb to external demands from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly regarding the acceptance of deportees from Venezuela.

This stance was made clear by Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar during an interview with a news outlet on Thursday.

Tuggar criticized the recent moves by Washington, including new visa restrictions and increased tariffs, stating that these actions are not mutual responses but instead serve as instruments of force.

“You have to also bear in mind that the US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prisons,” Tuggar said.

The minister emphasized the impracticality of accommodating Venezuelan convicts in Nigeria, citing the country’s existing socio-economic burdens.

“It would be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners. We have enough problems of our own. We already have 230 million people,” he added.

Earlier in the week, the U.S. Department of State revealed modifications to its “reciprocal non-immigrant visa policy,” which now imposes stricter limitations on travelers from several African nations, including Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria.

According to a statement from Washington’s mission in Nigeria, “Effective immediately, most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria will be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.”

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