US Supreme Court to hear asylum case involving Nigerian cook

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by President Donald Trump’s administration seeking to deny asylum to Nigerian citizen Izuchukwu Ozurumba, who was allegedly forced to cook for an armed separatist group.

According to Reuters, the court accepted the Justice Department’s appeal on Tuesday, October 13, challenging a ruling that Ozurumba’s cooking did not constitute material support for terrorism.

Court documents showed that Ozurumba joined a camp outside Lagos in 2022 after receiving a job offer, later discovering it was operated by a group known as the Unknown Gunmen.

His lawyers said he was detained without pay for six months before escaping. Subsequent threats and beatings forced him to flee Nigeria.

He entered the United States in July 2023 and applied for asylum, but immigration authorities rejected his application, arguing that preparing meals supported the group’s activities.

Ozurumba was deported to Nigeria in 2025.

However, a federal appeals court ruled that he was a captive labourer whose cooking did not qualify as terrorist support.

The Justice Department maintained that providing meals constituted material assistance.

The Supreme Court is expected to deliver its ruling by June 2027, potentially influencing future asylum decisions involving alleged terrorism connections.