Nigeria Travel Warning
LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 8, 2014
The Department of State warns U.S.
citizens of the risks of travel to Nigeria and
recommends that U.S. citizens avoid all
travel to Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states
because of the May 14, 2013 state of
emergency proclamation for those three
states by the Government of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. The security situation in
the country remains fluid and unpredictable.
The U.S. Department of State strongly urges
U.S. citizens in Nigeria to keep personal safety
and health in the forefront of their planning.
This Travel Warning replaces the Travel
Warning for Nigeria dated January 8, 2014.
The ability of the Mission to provide assistance
to U.S. citizens remains severely limited. The
Department continues to recommend against
all but essential travel to the following states
due to the risk of kidnappings, robberies, and
other armed attacks: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno,
Gombe, Kano, and Yobe States. The Department
also advises travelers to exercise additional
caution while traveling in Abia, Akwa Ibom,
Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna,
Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto,
and Zamfara States. Based on safety and
security risk assessments, the Embassy
maintains restrictions for travel by U.S.
officials to those states listed above; officials
must receive advance clearance by the U.S.
Mission for any travel deemed as mission-
essential. U.S. citizens should be aware that
extremist groups could expand their operations
beyond northern Nigeria to other areas of the
country.
The U.S. Mission advises all U.S. citizens to be
particularly vigilant around government
security facilities; churches, mosques, and
other places of worship; locations where large
crowds may gather, such as hotels, clubs, beer
parlors, restaurants, markets, shopping malls;
and other areas frequented by expatriates and
foreign travelers. Security measures in Nigeria
remain heightened due to threats posed by
extremist groups, and U.S. citizens may
encounter police and military checkpoints,
additional security, and possible road blocks
throughout the country.
Boko Haram, an extremist group based in
northeast Nigeria and designated as a Foreign
Terrorist Organization by the Department of
State, has claimed responsibility for many
attacks, mainly in northern Nigeria. This
includes two recent vehicle-borne improvised
explosive devices detonated in Nyanya, a
suburb of the capital of Abuja, that resulted in
approximately 100 combined deaths in April
and May of 2014. The first months of 2014
have seen a continued increase in Boko Haram
attacks and clashes with Nigerian government
security forces in northern Nigeria. Boko
Haram has also targeted women and children
for kidnapping, reportedly kidnapping women
in northern states for marriage as “slave
brides,” and kidnapping more than 200 school
girls from a private school in Borno state.
Boko Haram is known to descend on whole
towns, robbing banks and businesses, attacking
police and military installations, and setting
fire to private homes. In 2013, extremists also
targeted both Nigerians and foreign nationals
involved in polio eradication efforts in
northern Nigeria, leaving several U.S.
government partner agencies working on
public health development activities in
northern Nigeria to curtail their vaccination
efforts. Furthermore, U.S. citizen missionaries
in northern Nigeria have received specific
written threats to their safety and well-being.
Various curfews are intermittently in effect in
several states in the North. All U.S. citizens
should remain aware of current situations
including curfews, travel restrictions, and
states of emergency in the areas you are in or
plan to visit. This information is commonly
announced via the news media, but at times it
can change with very little notice. Please take
the time to find out this information for your
area.
Kidnappings remain a security concern
throughout the country. Since the beginning of
2013, there have been multiple reports of
kidnappings involving U.S. citizens.
Kidnappings of foreign nationals and attacks
against Nigerian police forces in Lagos State
and the Niger Delta region continue to affect
personal security for those traveling in these
areas. Criminals or militants have abducted
foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, from
off-shore and land-based oil facilities and
maritime vessels, residential compounds, and
public roadways. Ansaru, an offshoot of Boko
Haram, has specifically targeted foreigners in
the north for kidnap in the past few years with
lethal outcomes.
Violent crimes occur throughout the country.
U.S. citizen visitors and residents have
experienced armed muggings, assaults,
burglaries, armed robberies, car-jackings,
rapes, kidnappings, and extortion. Home
invasions also remain a serious threat, with
armed robbers accessing even guarded
compounds by scaling perimeter walls,
accessing waterfront compounds by boat,
following residents or visitors, or subduing
guards to gain entry to homes or apartments.
Law enforcement authorities usually respond
slowly or not at all and provide little or no
investigative support to victims. U.S. citizens,
other foreign nationals, and Nigerians have
experienced harassment and shakedowns at
checkpoints and during encounters with
Nigerian law enforcement officials. The
Department advises against traveling outside of
major cities after dark because of crime and
road safety concerns.
Cell phone service has, at times, been
disrupted in Nigeria, particularly in areas
where a State of Emergency has been declared.
Extremists have also been known to attack
cellular telephone towers, leading to further
disruptions. U.S. citizens should attempt to
arrange for multiple means of communication
in case of need during emergencies.
The Embassy is not able to offer medical
treatment to travelers; however, it can provide
a list of medical facilities that may be able to
treat U.S. citizens with medical emergencies.
In July 2014, the U.S. Embassy in Abuja
reported confirmed cases of Ebola Virus
Disease (EVD) in Nigeria. Since that time, new
reports of deaths and confirmed and suspected
cases of persons with EVD or Ebola-like
symptoms have been reported. For further
information on the Ebola virus, U.S. citizens
should consult the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) and Prevention website
and also visit the U.S. Embassy website to
review Security Messages addressing the Ebola
virus in Nigeria. On August 5, the CDC issued a
Travel Notice advising enhanced health and
hygiene precautions for travelers to Nigeria
due to the Ebola virus. On July 31, the CDC
issued Travel Notices warning against
nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia, and
Sierra Leone due to the Ebola virus.
The Department strongly advises U.S. citizens
who travel to or reside in Nigeria to enroll in
the State Department's Smart Traveler
Enrollment Program (STEP) . U.S. citizens
without internet access may enroll directly
with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
The U.S. Embassy in Abuja is located at:
Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District
Area, and can be reached by telephone,
including after-hours for emergencies, at
234(9)461-4000. The Embassy is open Monday
- Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday
7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The U.S. Consulate
General in Lagos is located at: 2 Walter
Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, and can
be reached by telephone, including after-hours
for emergencies, at 234(1)460-3600 or 234 (1)
460-3400. The Consulate is open Monday -
Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and
Friday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. U.S. citizens
should contact the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or
the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos for up-to-
date information on any restrictions.