US Revokes Wole Soyinka’s Visa, Nobel Laureate Expresses Shock, Says No Reason Given

Nigerian Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has confirmed that the United States government has revoked his non-immigrant visa without prior warning or explanation.

Speaking during a press briefing at Kongi’s Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos, Soyinka said he received an official letter from the U.S. Consulate in Lagos dated October 23, 2025, informing him that his B1/B2 visa had been revoked under U.S. Department of State regulations.

“I have no visa; I am banned, obviously, from the United States. I have not been accused of any wrongdoing or breach of law,” Soyinka said, describing the move as both “baffling and unnecessary.”

According to reports , the revocation may have followed Soyinka’s earlier refusal to attend a re-interview requested by the Consulate in September, which he dismissed as “an unusual and suspicious invitation.”

Soyinka, who has maintained close ties with U.S. institutions for decades, noted that he was reviewing the development but would not seek to appeal the decision or engage further with the Consulate.

The U.S. Embassy and the State Department have yet to issue an official statement explaining the reason behind the action.

Observers have described the move as surprising, given Soyinka’s international stature and long history of cultural and academic exchange with the United States.