400 Nigerians jailed every year in U.S. federal prisons, document shows
Approximately 400 Nigerians are jailed annually in U.S. federal prisons for various crimes, a document exclusively obtained by Peoples Gazette shows.
The document listed the names of 3,968 Nigerians, their crimes, and the years they were jailed for crimes ranging from fraud, bribery, extortion, burglary and larceny, and sex offences from 2016 to 2025.
A review of the document shows that some 400 Nigerians are sentenced to prison annually.
In 2016, 366 Nigerians were jailed. In 2017, the number rose to 390. In 2018, the figure hit 404. It dropped to 393 in 2019 and 351 in 2020. From 2021 to 2025, the number of Nigerians jailed rose from 363 to 439.
As shown in the document, 1,978 Nigerians were jailed for fraud, bribery, and extortion, while 828 were sent to prison for “unspecified” crimes.
While 433 Nigerians were sentenced for burglary/larceny, 422 Nigerians were jailed for drug trafficking-related crimes from 2016 to 2025. Seventy-four were jailed for immigration fraud, while 64 were jailed for illegal possession of weapons and explosives.
Meanwhile, in the first and second quarters of 2026, The Gazette reported a series of cases involving Nigerians jailed in the U.S. and other countries.
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