The Canadian government has warned its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Nigeria “due to the unpredictable security situation throughout the country and the significant risk of terrorism, crime, inter-communal clashes, armed attacks and kidnappings.”
The warning is contained in a travel advisory posted on one of the country’s immigration websites.
The advice went further asking Canadians to “avoid all travel” to specific regions due to the risk of terrorism, armed attacks, kidnapping, intercommunal and sectarian violence.
The highlighted areas are the northwestern states of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara; Plateau in the northcentral; Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe in the northeast; and the Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Rivers – with the exception of Port Harcourt “where we advise against non-essential travel.”
On Abuja, Calabar and Lagos, Canadians should “exercise a high degree of caution due to high incidence of crime,” the warning said.
“The decision to travel is your choice and you are responsible for your personal safety abroad. We take the safety and security of Canadians abroad very seriously and provide credible and timely information in our Travel Advice to enable you to make well-informed decisions regarding your travel abroad,” the advice further noted.
