
The Australian government has issued a critical travel advisory, urging its citizens to reconsider travelling to Nigeria due to escalating security concerns.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) cited terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime, and the potential for civil unrest as primary reasons for the warning.
In a statement released on Tuesday, DFAT described the security environment in Nigeria as volatile and unpredictable.
The advisory highlighted a high risk of terrorist attacks, which could either be indiscriminate or target foreign interests.
Potential targets include hotels, bars, restaurants, political meetings, government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping malls, sporting events, transport hubs, and camps for displaced persons.
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The advisory specifically listed states such as Adamawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Rivers, Yobe, and Zamfara as “do not travel” zones due to heightened threats.
Even the Federal Capital Territory, excluding Abuja, was deemed high risk.
This caution comes in the wake of alarming statistics from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, which reported over 2.2 million abductions between May 2023 and April 2024.
During this period, ransom payments totalled an estimated N2.2 trillion, with an average ransom of N2.7 million per incident.
The North-West region recorded the highest ransom payments at N1.2 trillion, while the South-East reported the lowest at N85.4 billion.