US charges Nigerian ex-immigration officers for unlawfully selling green cards, citizenship approvals

Two Nigerian nationals, Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, have been arrested and charged for accepting bribes to manipulate and expedite immigration applications in the United States, according to a report by Peoples Gazette.

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, said Ganiyu, a former Senior Immigration Services Officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Somoye were arrested on September 2 following a federal criminal complaint filed August 31, charging them with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official. Each defendant faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Investigators said that from December 2019 to March 2026, Ganiyu used his position to approve applications—including I-130, I-485, I-751 and N-400 forms—in exchange for money, bypassing interviews, background checks and standard protocols. The duo allegedly collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from applicants, with extensive WhatsApp communications linking them to the scheme.