Nigerian Students May Face $70,000 US OPT Fee Under New Proposal

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the country through the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, a move that could affect Nigerian and other foreign students seeking work experience after graduation.

Under the proposal, schools would be required to pay $70,000 for a student’s initial OPT application and $30,000 for each renewal, according to the Associated Press.

OPT allows eligible international students on F-1 visas to obtain temporary employment related to their fields of study after completing their academic programmes. Students are generally eligible for up to one year of OPT, while qualifying STEM graduates can receive an additional two years.

The proposed fee is part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to tighten immigration controls and address what DHS describes as fraud and abuse within student work programmes. DHS has characterized OPT as a potential “pipeline for cheap foreign labor,” according to AP.

The proposal has drawn concern from higher education and business groups, who argue that a fee of such magnitude could discourage international students from studying in the United States and affect industries that rely on skilled foreign graduates, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, said OPT provides international students with practical experience while helping employers address workforce needs.

“Driving away the talents, perspectives, and aspirations of international students will only hurt American innovation, economic growth, workforce development, and global leadership,” Aw said.

Doug Rand, a former senior adviser at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, also criticized the proposed fee, arguing that international graduates who have been educated in the United States should not face an excessive financial barrier to remaining and working in the country.

The $70,000 charge is a proposed fee and is not currently an established OPT requirement.

The public will have 60 days to submit comments on the proposal before DHS considers whether to finalize it. The measure could also face legal challenges from higher education and business groups.

The proposed policy comes amid wider changes to the U.S. immigration system affecting international students and foreign workers.

For Nigerian students considering studying in the United States, the proposal could become an important factor in decisions about post-graduation employment if it is ultimately finalized.

 

‘The So-Called Men of God in Nigeria Have No Power’ - VDM Blasts Religious Leaders Over Arome’s Relocation

 

Social commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has criticised prominent Nigerian religious leaders while questioning Pastor Arome Osayi’s decision to obtain permanent residence in the United States.

VDM’s comments followed a video showing Pastor Arome and his wife announcing that they had obtained permanent residence in the United States.

The development prompted VDM to revisit an earlier teaching by Pastor Arome about the different “callings” of nations. Arome had said that nations have different callings and described Nigeria’s calling as revival.

VDM questioned the message in relation to Arome’s decision to relocate his family to the United States, arguing that the country has encouraged its youths to think beyond conventional boundaries and pursue technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

“You moved your family to a country that is not built with prayers, that the youths were encouraged to think outside the box,” VDM said.

He referenced American entrepreneurs including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk while arguing that Nigerian youths should also be encouraged to pursue creativity, technology and practical development.

VDM then broadened his criticism to prominent Nigerian religious leaders, questioning the effectiveness of years of prayers against what they describe as the devil.

“These people do not have powers. This so-called man of God in Nigeria have no power,” he said.

He mentioned Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and the late TB Joshua while questioning how long religious leaders had been praying against the devil.

“All of them put together, they have been playing against one devil for the longest,” VDM said.

He also questioned the idea that religious leaders should be beyond criticism simply because they are regarded as men of God.

“If I talk about them, dem go say I’m cursed. Don’t talk about the man of God,” he said.

VDM further argued that he also considers himself called to a particular purpose and questioned why his views should be dismissed because he challenges religious leaders.

“Do you think they have power over me? Me wey God called too, my calling is 100 percent. It is to open the eyes of these youths in person. That is why I exist,” VDM said.

VDM also spoke about his plans involving China, saying he intends to take people there and return to Nigeria to put what they learn into action.

“I have a plan. I have a dream. One day Nigeria will be great,” he said.

The comments have added to the debate surrounding Pastor Arome’s views on Nigeria’s spiritual calling, particularly the relationship between prayer, faith, innovation and national development.

While Pastor Arome’s earlier remarks focused on his view of Nigeria’s spiritual role, VDM has used the preacher’s relocation to the United States to question how such teachings should be understood alongside the technological and economic development of other countries.

VDM’s statements about the effectiveness or otherwise of religious leaders are his personal views and were not independently established by the comments themselves.

Two Nigerians Extradited to US Over Sextortion Cases Linked to Deaths of Teenage Boys

Two Nigerian men have been extradited from Nigeria to the United States to face federal charges over alleged financially motivated sextortion schemes involving teenage boys, with U.S. authorities linking the separate cases to the deaths of two minors.

The suspects, identified as 24-year-old Mudasiru Afeez Olawale and 26-year-old Adebola Festus Adekunle, were extradited to the United States on Thursday, August 27, 2026, following investigations involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Nigerian authorities.

The U.S. Department of Justice said both men had been arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 as part of a wider FBI operation targeting financially motivated sextortion networks operating from Nigeria and targeting minors in the United States.

Adekunle, a Lagos resident, was arrested on August 14, 2023, and has been charged in Mississippi over an alleged sextortion scheme involving a teenage victim whose death prosecutors say resulted from the abuse.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, Adekunle faces charges including sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, production of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, and interstate threats with intent to extort.

He appeared before a federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, on August 28.

Prosecutors said Adekunle faces a possible life sentence if convicted, while the charge involving sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years.

Olawale, who was arrested in Nigeria on August 9, 2023, was extradited to the United States to face charges in North Carolina.

The U.S. Department of Justice said he had been indicted in August 2023 on offences relating to the alleged sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement, distribution of child sexual abuse material and interstate threatening communications.

Olawale appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Greensboro, North Carolina, on August 28. The U.S. authorities said the case involves the alleged sextortion of two victims and the death of one teenage victim.

The FBI said the alleged schemes involved financially motivated sextortion, in which victims were allegedly threatened with the release of intimate images unless they provided money or other forms of payment.

The U.S. Justice Department said the two cases form part of a broader international effort to dismantle criminal networks behind financially motivated sextortion, which American authorities say has been linked to the deaths by suicide of dozens of teenagers in the United State.

The extraditions were carried out with the assistance of the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché in Abuja and FBI personnel who travelled to Nigeria to take the suspects into U.S. custody.

Nigerian authorities, including the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, also assisted in the operation.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the extraditions demonstrated the U.S. government’s determination to pursue individuals accused of exploiting vulnerable children regardless of where they operate.

FBI Director Kash Patel described the two men as high-value targets who had been in Nigeria for about three years after their arrests before being returned to the United States to face prosecution.

The U.S. authorities stressed that the allegations remain accusations and that both men are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

The cases also highlight growing international cooperation between Nigerian and U.S. law enforcement agencies in tackling online sexual exploitation and financially motivated sextortion, particularly crimes targeting minors.

Five Americans, Ecuador Intelligence Chief Killed in Kenya Helicopter Crash

Five Americans and the Director General of Ecuador’s intelligence agency have died in a helicopter crash in Kenya.

The aircraft crashed on Wednesday morning near Mount Ololokwe in central Kenya, with seven people reportedly on board, according to Kenya’s civil aviation authority.

The helicopter was carrying guests from luxury tour company &Beyond. The operator, Lady Lori Helicopters, said the cause of the crash had not yet been determined.

Among those killed was Michele Sensi-Contugi, the Director General of Ecuador’s intelligence agency, who was travelling with his wife, Stephany Sensi, a fashion designer. Ecuadorian state media confirmed their deaths.

José Suárez, an executive with Spanish-language television company Telemundo, was also reported to have died in the crash.

Ecuador’s presidential office expressed condolences to the family of Sensi-Contugi following the incident.

The United States Department of State also confirmed the deaths of five American citizens and said the US Embassy was working with local authorities to provide consular assistance.

“The US Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance,” a State Department spokesperson said while extending condolences to the victims’ families.

The helicopter, an Airbus Helicopters Eurocopter EC130 B4, was reportedly travelling from the Loisaba wildlife conservancy towards the Ewaso Ngiro River when it crashed.

Images and videos circulating on social media appeared to show smoke rising from the base of a mountain in the area where the aircraft went down.

The Kenya Red Cross said search and recovery operations were launched after the crash, but responders faced difficulties because of the rugged terrain and an active fire at the crash site.

“Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, hampered by difficult terrain access and an active fire at the crash site,” the organisation said.

An additional response team was also dispatched from Isiolo to reinforce the operation. The EC130 B4 is a single-engine helicopter manufactured by Airbus Helicopters, formerly Eurocopter. The aircraft can carry between five and seven passengers in addition to a pilot and has a maximum speed of about 286 kilometres per hour.

Kenya’s Ministry of Transport has commenced an investigation into the crash to determine what caused the helicopter to go down.

Authorities are expected to release further details as the investigation and recovery operations continue.