The Australian government has issued a strong advisory urging its citizens to reconsider travel to Nigeria due to security concerns.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) cited threats of terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime, and civil unrest as key reasons behind the warning.
The advisory stated: “Reconsider your need to travel to Nigeria overall due to the volatile security situation. There’s a high risk of terrorist attacks by various militant groups, which may target foreign interests or occur indiscriminately. Potential targets include hotels, bars, markets, schools, transport hubs, and government buildings.”
It specifically advised against travel to 23 states, including Borno, Kaduna, and Rivers, as well as parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
The warning comes in the wake of alarming statistics from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, reporting over 2.2 million abductions between May 2023 and April 2024. Ransom payments during this period were estimated at N2.2 trillion, with an average demand of N2.7 million per incident.
The North-West region recorded the highest ransom payments, totalling N1.2 trillion, while the South-East reported the lowest at N85.4 billion.
