Australian Govt Warns Citizens Against Travelling To Nigeria

The Australian government has issued a strong warning to its nationals to reconsider travel to Nigeria.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) issued a statement on Tuesday citing a volatile security environment typified by terrorism, kidnapping, and the possibility of civil upheaval as grounds for the advise.

“There’s a high risk of terrorist attacks across Nigeria by various militant groups. Attacks could be indiscriminate or may target foreign interests.

“Potential targets include places where crowds gather, such as hotels, bars, restaurants, political meetings, government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping malls, sporting events, transport hubs and networks, law enforcement facilities, international organisations, and camps for displaced people.

“Reconsider your need to travel to Nigeria overall, including the capital Abuja.
“Do not travel to Adamawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross Rivers, Delta, Federal Capital Territory (excluding Abuja), Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states,” parts of the travel advisory read.

The warning follows recent data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, which revealed 2,235,954 abductions between May 2023 and April 2024.

During this time, ransom payments totaled approximately N2.2 trillion, with an average ransom of N2.7 million per occurrence.

The North-West had the largest ransom payments at N1.2 trillion, while the South-East had the lowest at N85.4 billion.