The Australian government highlighted that militant groups pose a high risk of attacks, potentially targeting crowded areas such as hotels, restaurants, markets, schools, government buildings, places of worship, and transport hubs.
Canberra – The Australian government has urged its citizens to reconsider travel plans to Nigeria, citing a precarious security situation characterized by terrorism, kidnappings, and potential civil unrest.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) outlined the risks, warning of indiscriminate terrorist attacks and violent crime.
“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,” the statement read.
The Australian government highlighted that militant groups pose a high risk of attacks, potentially targeting crowded areas such as hotels, restaurants, markets, schools, government buildings, places of worship, and transport hubs. Foreign interests, including international organizations and displaced persons’ camps, were also identified as possible targets.
The advisory listed several high-risk states where travel is strongly discouraged, including Adamawa, Anambra, Borno, Bayelsa, Delta, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Zamfara, among others. The capital, Abuja, was also flagged as a location of concern.
The warning coincides with recent data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which reported over 2.2 million abductions between May 2023 and April 2024. Ransom payments during this period amounted to an estimated ₦2.2 trillion, with an average ransom of ₦2.7 million per incident.
According to the NBS, the North-West region recorded the highest ransom payments, totaling ₦1.2 trillion, while the South-East accounted for the lowest at ₦85.4 billion.
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