The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a stark travel advisory, warning British citizens to avoid all travel to six Nigerian states due to escalating violence and terrorism. The affected states are Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Katsina, and Zamfara. The advisory, updated recently, highlights a “high and increasing threat from Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa,” particularly around transport hubs, religious areas, and large gatherings.
The advisory states that “humanitarian personnel, vehicles, supplies, and infrastructure can be targeted by terrorists and criminals,” underscoring the high risk faced by relief workers operating in these regions. The UK government emphasizes the severity of the threats, urging British nationals to “exercise extreme caution,” review their safety procedures, and ensure they have “contingency plans” in place.
Beyond the six states where all travel is banned, the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba states, and even the outer suburbs of Abuja, the nation’s capital. These areas face persistent militant activities, kidnappings, violent crime, and socio-political tensions. In Abuja, the advisory notably mentions that “violent crime, often involving firearms, has increased and spread from the outer suburbs to more central, wealthier areas of the city.”
It also warns that protests in the city “can turn violent.”
The Niger Delta region—including Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states—also features in the warning due to ongoing militant attacks on oil and gas infrastructure and recurrent kidnappings. The FCDO notes, “Militant groups are active across the Niger Delta region and have carried out many attacks on oil and gas infrastructure.”
The widening security challenges come amid a backdrop of growing violence nationwide. The advisory paints a grim picture, “Insecurity is increasing across Nigeria. Kidnapping, violent crime, and intercommunal violence occur throughout all regions,” the travel advisory reads.
The UK government’s travel advisory reflects deepening concerns about security in Nigeria, affecting 24 states overall with varying restrictions. It warns that terrorist attacks “could occur without warning, targeting transport hubs, religious gatherings, and public spaces,” and that humanitarian convoys and foreign personnel remain at high risk of abduction or assault, particularly in remote and oil-producing areas.
