Australian government has issued a strong advisory urging its citizens to reconsider traveling to Nigeria due to security concerns.
A statement from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on Tuesday highlighted the volatile security situation in Nigeria, citing the threats of terrorism, kidnapping, and potential civil unrest.
“There is a high risk of terrorist attacks across Nigeria from various militant groups. These attacks may be indiscriminate or target foreign interests,” the statement warned.
“Potential targets include areas where crowds gather, such as hotels, bars, restaurants, political gatherings, government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping malls, sporting events, transportation hubs, law enforcement facilities, international organizations, and camps for displaced persons.”
The advisory also advised Australians to reconsider all travel to Nigeria, including the capital, Abuja, and to avoid traveling to specific states, including Adamawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross Rivers, Delta, Federal Capital Territory (excluding Abuja), Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
This warning follows recent statistics from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, which reported a staggering 2,235,954 abductions between May 2023 and April 2024. During this period, ransom payments amounted to an estimated N2.2 trillion, with an average ransom of N2.7 million per incident. The North-West region saw the highest ransom payments, totaling N1.2 trillion, while the South-East had the lowest at N85.4 billion.
