The Australian government, advised its citizens to reconsider traveling to Nigeria due to the country’s volatile security situation.
In a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on Tuesday, the warning cited risks of terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime, and potential civil unrest.
The advisory stated: “Reconsider your need to travel to Nigeria overall due to the volatile security situation and threat of terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime, and the risk of civil unrest.”
DFAT highlighted the high risk of terrorist attacks by militant groups, which could target foreign interests or occur indiscriminately.
Potential targets include hotels, bars, restaurants, political meetings, government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, malls, transport hubs, and camps for displaced persons.
The advisory further specified regions where travel is strongly discouraged, including Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Niger, and Zamfara states, among others.
Even the capital city, Abuja, is included in the “reconsider travel” category due to heightened risks.
This caution comes amid alarming data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, revealing that over 2.2 million abductions were recorded between May 2023 and April 2024.
Ransom payments during this period totaled approximately N2.2 trillion, with an average ransom of N2.7 million per incident.
The North-West region reported the highest ransom payments, amounting to N1.2 trillion, while the South-East recorded the lowest at N85.4 billion.
The Australian government urged its citizens to stay updated on the situation and avoid unnecessary risks while traveling to or within Nigeria.
