The United States has heightened security warnings in Nigeria, evacuating non-essential staff from Abuja and raising alerts across multiple states due to increased terrorism, kidnapping, and civil unrest.
The United States has escalated its warning over security conditions in Nigeria, authorising the departure of non-emergency government staff and their families from Abuja as it cited an elevated risk of terrorist attacks. The move effectively places the embassy under partial evacuation and comes alongside a sharply revised travel advisory for American citizens.
According to the U.S. State Department, the threat in the capital is both broad and immediate, with possible targets including government offices, religious sites, schools, shopping centres, hotels and transport hubs. Officials said an attack could come with little or no warning, prompting the decision to pull down staffing levels in Abuja.
The broader advisory paints a bleak picture across much of the country. It places Nigeria at Level 3, meaning Americans are being told to reconsider travel, while several states are classed at Level 4, the highest warning, because of persistent terrorism, kidnapping and other violence. Those states include Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Zamfara in the north.
The warning also extends to parts of the south. Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta and Rivers are among the states singled out as high-risk areas because of kidnapping, civil unrest and maritime crime. The department also said crime is widespread in southern Nigeria and that foreigners, including U.S. citizens, are often viewed as lucrative targets for ransom.
The embassy has urged Americans in Nigeria to exercise caution, avoid crowds and sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for security updates and emergency contact. In Abuja, however, the situation has now moved beyond a routine advisory, with visa appointments suspended as the mission responds to what Washington describes as a worsening security climate.
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Source: Noah Wire Services
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