Two Nigerian nationals, Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, have been arrested and charged to court for accepting bribes to manipulate and expedite immigration applications.

The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, noted that Mr Ganiyu, a former Senior Immigration Services Officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Mr Somoye were arrested on federal charges for their roles in an alleged multi‑year scheme to receive illegal gratuities in exchange for manipulating and expediting immigration applications.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement, “A federal criminal complaint filed August 31, charges the duo with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official. Federal agents arrested both on September 2. Each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.”

Messrs Ganiyu and Somoye had their initial court appearances on September 2. 

According to the complaint, from December 2019 through March 2026, Mr Ganiyu used his official position to approve immigration applications—including Forms I‑130: Petition for Alien Relative; I‑485: Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status; I‑751: Petition to Remove Cotonditions on Residence; and N‑400: Application for Naturalization—in exchange for money. 

Investigation shows that Mr Ganiyu bypassed required interviews, supervisory review, jurisdictional limitations, background checks and standard USCIS processing protocols to unlawfully expedite approvals for applicants, many of whom were not eligible under federal law.

The duo of Messrs Ganiyu and Somoye collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from applicants, several of which correspond directly with immigration approvals issued by Mr Ganiyu. 

“Investigators also identified extensive WhatsApp communications between Ganiyu, Somoye and numerous applicants whose immigration cases they handled, including thousands of messages and hundreds of calls during the charged period,” the DoJ said.

The U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said, “Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust. When a federal official puts a price tag on lawful status, we will intervene immediately. Public corruption will never be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.”

“The alleged manipulation of immigration decisions for personal gain undermines the integrity of a process essential to our national security,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to holding accountable anyone who abuses their position of trust.”