By Ghazali Ibrahim
Two Nigerian nationals have been charged by the United States government over allegations of illegally voting in federal elections despite not being American citizens.
The suspects were identified as Mohammed Omar Hassan, 61, and Michael Agah, 74. Both men are lawful permanent residents of the United States, commonly known as green card holders.
The US Department of Justice announced the charges on Monday, November 2, 2026, as part of a nationwide prosecution involving 63 individuals accused of various election-related offences.
According to the department, Hassan was charged in the Southern District of Texas with voting by a non-US citizen.
Prosecutors alleged that he participated in the 2022 and 2024 federal elections despite not being an American citizen.
Agah, who faces charges in the Western District of North Carolina, was accused of voting illegally and falsely claiming American citizenship to participate in an election.
The department alleged that the 74-year-old declared himself a US citizen on an Authorization to Vote Form before casting his ballot in the November 5, 2024 federal election.
Under US federal law, lawful permanent residents are generally not eligible to vote in federal elections because they are not American citizens.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche described the latest development as the largest surge in voter-fraud arrests since President Donald Trump returned to office.
The Justice Department disclosed that it had charged 195 non-US citizens across 25 states with illegal voting and voter registration offences in the preceding nine weeks.
It added that the total number of people charged with voting fraud-related offences since the beginning of the Trump administration had reached 239.
The latest cases come less than two months after three other Nigerians were charged over alleged election-related offences in the United States.
They were identified as Gladys Adaeze Okafor, 56; Helen Sayen Adams, 67; and Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, 27.
The department said Okafor and Adams were accused of falsely claiming American citizenship to register and vote, while Akpom faced allegations of making false statements in connection with his naturalisation application.
The Justice Department stressed that the charges against the defendants remain allegations and do not establish guilt.
It added that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
