The United States government has issued a fresh travel advisory warning its citizens against travel to Nigeria, citing widespread insecurity, terrorism, violent crime, rampant kidnapping, and the unreliable state of healthcare services across the country.
The advisory, released by the US Department of State as part of its latest global security review, placed Nigeria under its Level 3 category, which urges travellers to reconsider visiting the country.
The US Mission in Nigeria, in a statement published on its website, stressed that while some parts of Nigeria are more dangerous than others, all locations pose significant security risks.
According to the advisory, 18 states in Nigeria are considered extremely unsafe and fall under the Level 4 category, which means “do not travel.”
These states are deemed high risk due to either terrorism, kidnapping, or the presence of armed gangs.
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The United States urged its citizens to avoid states such as Borno, Yobe, Kogi, and northern Adamawa because of terrorism and kidnapping.
Other states flagged due to rampant kidnapping include Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara. In the South, states like Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt) were listed due to high levels of violent crime, kidnapping, and attacks by armed groups.
The US government expressed serious concerns about the scale of violent crime in Nigeria.
It noted that incidents such as armed robbery, carjacking, assault, rape, and hostage-taking have become common occurrences.
Kidnapping for ransom was particularly highlighted as a major threat, especially targeting dual nationals and Americans perceived as wealthy.
It warned that criminal gangs often ambush victims on major highways, sometimes working in collaboration with terrorist groups to broaden their operations.
In terms of terrorism, the advisory stated that terror groups remain active in Nigeria and continue to plan and execute attacks with little or no warning.
Targets often include public places such as shopping malls, marketplaces, hotels, places of worship, schools, restaurants, government buildings, and transportation hubs.
The US warned that these attacks could happen anywhere crowds gather and urged heightened vigilance.
Beyond insecurity, the advisory also raised alarms over Nigeria’s struggling healthcare system, warning that US citizens should not expect to receive medical care at the standard they are used to in the United States or Europe.
It noted that many health facilities are poorly equipped, medicines for common ailments such as asthma and diabetes are frequently unavailable, and counterfeit pharmaceuticals are a persistent threat.
Travellers were advised to come fully prepared with all necessary medications for the entire duration of their stay, as emergency services in Nigeria are severely limited.
Ambulance services, it noted, often lack trained paramedics and proper equipment, while blood supply is frequently unreliable.
Cash payments are often required before treatment is administered, and most hospitals do not accept foreign health insurance.
The advisory strongly recommended that US travellers secure travel and medical evacuation insurance before arriving in Nigeria.
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It also advised visitors to be up-to-date on all routine vaccinations and receive additional vaccines for yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A and B, cholera, meningitis, and polio. Due to the country’s high malaria risk, all travellers are urged to take anti-malaria medication before and during their stay.
The United States included Nigeria among 12 African countries deemed high-risk in the travel advisory, alongside Somalia, Libya, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Burundi, Uganda, and Guinea-Bissau.
Security experts, on the other hand, argue that such alerts highlight serious safety concerns that should be urgently addressed.
