Insecurity: US orders staff to leave embassy in Nigeria, declares 23 Nigerian states at high-risk

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United States Department of State (USDoS) has directed non-essential staff and family members to depart the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, citing worsening security conditions across Nigeria.
In a travel advisory issued Wednesday, the department urged Americans to reconsider travel to Nigeria beginning April 8, 2026, due to crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest, and limited healthcare services. The advisory places Nigeria at “Level 3: Reconsider Travel,” with 23 states now classified under “Level 4: Do Not Travel.”

The advisory classified the overall travel advisory for Nigeria as “Level 3: Reconsider Travel,” while some states are at “Level 4: Do Not Travel.”

The department also added Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba states to the list of “Do Not Travel” areas, bringing the total to 23 states where travel is strongly discouraged.

“On April 8, 2026, the Department of State authorized non-emergency U.S. government employees and U.S. government employee family members to leave U.S. Embassy Abuja due to the deteriorating security situation,” the advisory read.

“Reconsider travel to Nigeria due to crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, and inconsistent availability of health care services. Some areas have increased risk,” it added.

Level 4 states that U.S. citizens are urged to avoid include, in the North, Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states, and northern Adamawa states, due to terrorism, crime, and kidnapping.

In Southern and Southeastern Nigeria, the department urged citizens to avoid Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers states (excluding Port Harcourt) due to crime, kidnapping, and unrest.

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