Maduro: U.S. $50m bounty on Venezuala’s president riles CSOs in Nigeria

A coalition of Nigerian civil society organisations has called on the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Federal Government of Nigeria to reject the $50 million bounty placed by the United States on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and leaders of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

The coalition, under the banner of the Nigeria-Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, described the U.S. action as a violation of international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty.

In a statement issued on Monday, the groups demanded the immediate withdrawal of the bounty and the lifting of sanctions, which they said had imposed severe hardship on ordinary Venezuelans.
“This move is a blatant attempt to intimidate and undermine the democratically elected government of Venezuela and its leaders,” the statement read. “The U.S. government’s actions are a clear violation of international law and sovereignty, and an attempt to impose its will on the Venezuelan people.”

The coalition further noted that President Maduro and PSUV leaders had been elected in polls monitored internationally.
“We view this so-called ‘bounty’ as a continuation of Washington’s regime-change agenda and an extension of the economic, political, and diplomatic war being waged against the Venezuelan people—through sanctions, sabotage, and disinformation,” the groups said.

They recalled that in July 2025, Nigerian civil society organisations had resisted what they described as U.S. efforts to deport Venezuelan nationals from Nigeria under false pretenses.

The campaign urged the Nigerian government to maintain its policy of non-interference and expand bilateral cooperation with Venezuela.

The statement was jointly signed by Gerald O. Katchy, National Secretary, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights; Dimeji Macaulay, Coordinator, Anti-Fascist Movement; Blessing Yusuf, Chairperson, Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria (FIWON); Charles A. Chibuike, Executive Director, Committed Advocates of Integrity Initiative (CADII); and Abiodun Emmanuel Fayemi, Head, African Farmers and Agricultural Practitioners (AFAP).