The United States has urged its citizens to reconsider travel to Nigeria and has authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families from its embassy in Abuja, citing deteriorating security conditions across Africa's most populous nation.
The decision reflects growing concern in Washington over persistent instability and escalating threats in several regions of the country.
U.S. travel advisories carry significant weight internationally, often influencing how investors, multinational organizations, and airlines assess risk in a given country. The move to permit embassy staff departures is widely seen as a strong signal of heightened alarm, particularly as kidnappings, banditry, and attacks on security forces continue — especially in northern Nigeria.
In its latest advisory issued late Wednesday, the U.S. State Department maintained Nigeria's overall classification at Level 3: "Reconsider Travel."
However, it expanded its list of high-risk areas by adding Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba states to those Americans are advised not to visit. This brings the total number of states under the strict "Do Not Travel" designation to 23 out of Nigeria's 36 states, underscoring the breadth of the security challenges.
The advisory highlights a complex and evolving threat landscape. In the northeast, Islamist insurgent groups remain active, while in the northwest, criminal gangs are responsible for widespread violence and kidnappings. Meanwhile, parts of southern and southeastern Nigeria — including key oil-producing regions — continue to experience unrest and sporadic violence.
These concerns are not new but have intensified in recent months. Just last month, Washington warned of a potential terrorist threat targeting U.S. facilities and affiliated schools within Nigeria, further raising alarm among diplomatic and security officials.
The United States regularly reviews its travel advisories several times a year and has kept Nigeria at Level 3 or Level 4 for much of the past decade due to ongoing insecurity. Despite these challenges, cooperation between the two countries on security matters continues.
The U.S. military currently operates multiple MQ-9 drones in Nigeria and maintains a presence of around 200 troops, primarily focused on providing training and intelligence support to Nigerian forces engaged in combating Islamist militants in the north.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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