On September 23, 2023, Dele Momodu, a publisher and politician, posted on his Instagram that the United States of America had warned its citizens from travelling to Nigeria. According to the claim, the reason for the warning is due to various security concerns.
A similar version of the story was posted by Sahara Reporters on their X (formerly called Twitter) page.
However, a number of commenters disputed the veracity of the travel advisory, claiming that no such advisory was issued. A look at the comment section of the handles of those who posted information about the travel advisory shows that some X users do not believe the validity of the information.
A user tweeted, “This is FAKE. Investors are HEAD OVER HEELS to invest in Nigeria..”
Claim: The United States has warned its citizens from travelling to Nigeria due to multiple security concerns
Verification
On September 20, 2023, the United States Department of State— Bureau of Consular Affairs released a “Nigeria Travel Advisory” warning its citizens to reconsider travelling to Nigeria. According to the advisory, the reasons include crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed gangs.
We found that in the travel advisory, 18 out of 36 states in Nigeria were reported to have recorded violent crimes. The report says these 18 states belong to “Level 4” and should not be travelled to by Americans.
The states are: Borno, Yobe, Kogi, and northern part of Adamawa (due to terrorism and kidnapping); Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara (due to kidnapping).
Others include: Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers with the exception of Port Harcourt (due to crime, kidnapping, and armed gangs).
It would be recalled that in October 2022, the United States Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria updated their 2021 travel advisory. They ordered the departure of Americans and their families from Nigeria, particularly from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The reason given was the heightened risk of terrorist attacks in the Nigerian capital.
Furthermore, the CDD War Room found that in March 2021, the US Department of State issued a similar warning for its citizens to avoid travelling to Nigeria due to COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime.
As of 2021, 14 states were considered as “Level 4” and the US advisory urged citizens not to visit them. They include: Borno, Yobe, and northern Adamawa state (due to terrorism and kidnapping); Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Zamfara (due to kidnapping); coastal areas of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers with the exception of Port Harcourt (due to crime, kidnapping, and maritime crime).
Verdict: TRUE
We found that the United States Department of State issued a travel advisory to its citizens, warning them to reconsider travelling to Nigeria. The travel advisory considers Nigeria (as a whole) as a “Level 3”, which should be reconsidered, while some states are “Level 4” and should not be travelled to.