The United Kingdom, (UK) and Australia have asked their citizens not to embark on travels to Nigeria, in the latest security advisories issued on Thursday.
In the same vein, the European Union, (EU), also cautioned that insecurity might prevent elections from taking place in some parts of the country.
The EU said the “security climate” in Nigeria was very hostile as the 2023 general elections are less than 35 days.
Recall that in October last year, the United States, UK, Canada, and other developed nations issued terror alerts, warning their citizens in Nigeria to avoid shopping malls, religious centres and hotels, which they said could be targeted by terrorists.
However, the Federal Government denounced the advisories, describing them as false, and assured Nigerians to go about their lawful businesses, saying the country was safe and secure.
Also, last December, the Tony Blair Institute stated that the elections could be interrupted by Boko Haram, the banned Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), and criminal gangs.
In an updated travel advisory issued on Thursday, the Australian government appealed to its citizens to have second thoughts, or cancel their planned visits to Nigeria.
Corroborating the Australian alert, the UK government also warned that protests might break out during the election.
According to the EU, the security challenges in Nigeria pose a great threat to the forthcoming general elections, if not addressed.
The Team Leader of the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase-2 programme, Rudolf Elbling, expressed the fear during a seminar in Abuja to assess various security threats that could affect the conduct and credibility of the elections.
He described the innovations introduced by the INEC to the electoral process as “quite substantial”.
He, however, added that insecurity, which he described as the “basic problem”, might prevent INEC from conducting elections in all parts of the country.
