Canada warns citizens against non-essential travel to Nigeria over unpredictable security

THE Canadian government has warned its citizens in Nigeria to avoid travelling the  hotspots of insurgency, kidnapping and allied criminality in the country.

Identifying the hotspots the government mentioned Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara and Plateau, some Northeastern states among others.

For those still in the North American nation, the government advised them to avoid non-essential travel to Nigeria, owing to the “unpredictable security situation throughout the country”.

The Canadian government made this known in a travel advisory to its citizens, stressing that there is risk of inter-communal  clashes, armed attacks and kidnappings in Africa’s most populous nation.

“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 advisory reads.

It added, “Avoid all travel to the following regions due to the risk of terrorism, armed attacks, kidnapping, intercommunal and sectarian violence: The north-western states of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara, the north-central state of Plateau; the north-eastern states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe; the Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Rivers (with the exception of Rivers’ capital city, Port Harcourt, where we advise against non-essential travel).”

The government urged its citizens to show  a “high degree of caution” in the cities of Abuja, Calabar and Lagos.

“The decision to travel is your choice and you are responsible for your personal safety abroad,” it reads.

“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.

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