The United States Department of State says it has revoked the visas of several foreign nationals who publicly celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, a close ally of former President Donald Trump and co-founder of the youth-focused advocacy group Turning Point USA, was shot dead last month during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

He was responding to a student’s question on mass shootings when a bullet struck his neck. The 31-year-old’s killing sent shockwaves across the United States and drew widespread condemnation of political violence.

Reactions to his death were sharply divided, with some expressions of sympathy overshadowed by a wave of celebratory comments on social media.

In a post on X late Tuesday, the State Department said it had “no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.”

> “The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the statement read.

The post included screenshots of six accounts belonging to individuals from South Africa, Germany, Mexico, Brazil and Paraguay who had made inflammatory remarks about the killing.

One South African user reportedly mocked Americans for “hurt that the racist rally ended in attempted martyrdom,” claiming Kirk had been “used to astroturf a movement of white nationalist trailer trash.”

All of the individuals’ U.S. visas have now been revoked.

The move came on the same day former President Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his activism.

It also follows Washington’s tightening of visa scrutiny for foreign nationals. In August, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria announced a new rule requiring non-immigrant visa applicants to submit details of their social-media handles from the past five years.

The measure, officials said, was part of efforts to enhance background checks and maintain security integrity in visa processing.

• declares support for Tinubu

Former federal lawmaker, Ben Murray-Bruce, who represented Bayelsa East Senatorial District, has announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Murray-Bruce made the announcement on Wednesday in a personally signed statement posted on his Facebook page.

In the statement, he commended the administration of President Bola Tinubu, describing him as the first leader in Nigeria’s history “who truly understands finance, who sees the economy not as a political slogan, but as a living organism that must be disciplined, deregulated, and allowed to breathe.”

The former senator expressed strong confidence in Tinubu’s ongoing economic reforms, saying they lay the foundation for Nigeria’s future prosperity.

Murray-Bruce, who said he had known Tinubu since 1998, praised the President’s courage, intellect, and results-driven approach to leadership.

“I have known President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu since 1998. I know the man’s mind, his courage, and his conviction. He is not driven by applause; he is driven by results. And today, I can boldly say to you that he is on the right track,” he said.

Highlighting recent government efforts, he noted that the administration had taken steps to stabilize the economy, strengthen the naira, and restore investor confidence through professional management at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Murray-Bruce also commended Tinubu’s national security reforms, stating that the appointment of the National Security Adviser had “significantly improved Nigeria’s safety architecture” and that insecurity was being “quietly and systematically dismantled.”

He further emphasized that the painful reforms being implemented were necessary for long-term growth, saying: “The painful reforms we face today are the very foundation of tomorrow’s prosperity. We are moving into a free-market economy, one that rewards hard work and innovation instead of dependency and distortion.”

The former senator pointed to progress in various sectors, including the deregulation of fuel supply, the professional restructuring of the CBN, and infrastructural developments under Tinubu’s administration.

“Our foreign policy is again respected. Our fuel supply is deregulated. We will never again live through the humiliation of fuel scarcity. The numbers are beginning to speak, investments are returning, and the world is watching Nigeria rise again,” he said.

Murray-Bruce described Tinubu’s infrastructure push as “unprecedented,” noting that massive road projects, modernized ports, airports, and new housing schemes were transforming the country.

He acknowledged that the reforms had come with hardship but maintained that such sacrifice was vital for national renewal.

“I know it is still a difficult season for many families. But as history teaches, reform is never painless. Yet, it is in these moments of sacrifice that nations are reborn,” he said.

Announcing his decision to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), Murray-Bruce said his move was not about politics but about supporting progress.

“That is why today, I am joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), not for politics, but for progress. Because I believe that Bola Tinubu’s leadership, guided by courage and intellect, will deliver the Nigeria we have all dreamed of,” he stated.

Concluding his message, he expressed optimism about Nigeria’s future under Tinubu, declaring: “Mark my words: in the full term of eight years, Nigeria will witness phenomenal growth. I choose to stand with that vision. I choose to stand with reform. I choose to stand with the future. Thank you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The development was announced in a Facebook post by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, on Wednesday.

According to Alabrah, the governor’s resignation came alongside that of the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, and all PDP members of the state legislature.

Diri’s exit ends months of speculation over his alleged plans to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), although Alabrah did not confirm which political party the governor intends to join next.

It was gathered that Diri made the announcement during the weekly State Executive Council meeting held inside Government House, Yenagoa, and has already submitted his resignation letter to the PDP.

It is also believed that all members of the State Executive Council resigned in solidarity with the governor.

When contacted, Alabrah declined comments, saying, “I cannot talk now.”
Efforts to reach the state PDP chairman, Solomon Agwanana, were unsuccessful as his calls went unanswered.

More to come…