The United States President, Donald Trump, has frowned at the continued existence of Boko Haram, the Islamic State and other terrorist cells in Nigeria.
Trump cited the activities of the jihadist groups as one of the grounds Nigeria was added to the list of countries facing restrictions on travel to the United States.
“Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria,” Trump declared in his proclamation on Tuesday.
The other reason highlighted was the overstay report, which showed Nigeria had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90%.
Even so, it is most likely that terrorism pushed Nigeria onto the list, as the West African nation has one of the lowest overstay rates among the 15 countries newly restricted.
According to the Fact Sheet released by the White House, Angola had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 14.43% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 21.92%.
Benin had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 12.34% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 36.77%; Cote d’Ivoire had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 8.47% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 19.09%.
Gabon had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 13.72% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 17.77%; The Gambia had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 12.70% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 38.79%.
Furthermore, Malawi had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 22.45% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 31.99%, while Mauritania had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 9.49%.
Senegal had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 4.30% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 13.07%; Tanzania had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 8.30% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 13.97%.
Those who have been following events are not aback by Trump’s latest action, as the President has been vocal in recent weeks concerning the fatal attacks on Christians in several parts of Nigeria.
On October 31, Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a tag for nations witnessing severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act.
The American leader also threatened to deploy United States forces to eliminate the terrorists wreaking havoc, a pronouncement that elicited reactions from major powers, including China and Russia.
In November, the Trump administration spearheaded a discussion on violence against Christians in Nigeria at the United Nations, where rap star Nicki Minaj was invited to speak after showing solidarity towards the campaign.
In the same month, the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, stated that the atrocities in Nigeria are being perpetrated by “Boko Haram and 22 other Muslim extremist terrorist groups”.
In December, Congressman Riley Moore led a US congressional delegation on a fact-finding mission to Nigeria as part of efforts to address the persecution of Christians and the broader security crisis.
Moore dubbed what he witnessed “heartbreaking,” and announced work on “a strategic security framework” to tackle the ISIS and Boko Haram threat, and “the genocide against Christians by the radical Fulani Muslims in the Middle Belt”.
