The United States government has issued a travel advisory warning its citizens against visiting 18 Nigerian states due to heightened risks of terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime, armed gangs, and inadequate healthcare services.
The advisory, published on the website of the US Mission in Nigeria on Tuesday, classified the listed states under Level 4 – the highest security threat level – and urged Americans to avoid travel to these areas under any circumstances.
It cited inadequate healthcare system, rising cases of kidnapping, terrorism, and violent crime by armed gangs as reasons for dissuading Americans from travelling to the countries.
Apart from Nigeria, the other African countries flagged by the U.S. in the advisory are Somalia, Libya, Burkina Faso, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Burundi, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, and Chad.
The countries were classified into four risk levels, with Level-4 being “Do Not Travel”, the highest alert, and Level-3 advising travellers to “Reconsider Travel” due to significant safety concerns in the global advisory.
The U.S. Mission in Nigeria urged American citizens to reconsider any planned travel to Nigeria, warning that every part of the country poses “significant security risks,” Borno, Yobe, Kogi, and northern Adamawa flagged for alleged high threat of terrorism and kidnapping.
The U.S Mission also warned Americans from travelling to Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara over rampant kidnappings; and Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt) due to widespread crime, abductions, and violent gang activity.
