The United States says it has taken steps to impose visa bans on persons who disrupted the recent general elections in Nigeria.

In a statement on the US State Department website, Secretary of State Antony Binken said “the United States is committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Nigeria and around the world.”

Blinken clarified that the visa ban was specific to certain individuals and is not directed at the Nigerian people or the Government of Nigeria as a whole.

These individuals, under US Immigration and Nationality Act, will be subject to restrictions on visas to the United States under a policy covering those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy according to the statement.