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Nigeria has retained its Level 3 "Reconsider Travel" status in the latest global travel advisory issued by the United States Department of State, while several states across the country remain under the stricter Level 4 "Do Not Travel" warning because of persistent security concerns.
The updated advisory, released by the US State Department on Thursday through its official TravelGov platform, also placed 23 countries under its highest Level 4 alert, warning American citizens against travelling to those destinations under any circumstances.
According to the US government, a Level 4 advisory is issued where security conditions present extreme risks or where the ability of American authorities to provide emergency assistance to their citizens is severely limited.
"We issue Travel Advisories with Levels 1–4. Level 4 means 'Do Not Travel.' We assign Level 4 based on local conditions and/or our limited ability to help Americans there," the department stated.
It added that the listed countries were considered too dangerous for travel for any reason.
The countries under the highest advisory are Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine and Yemen.
Although Nigeria was not included among the 23 countries on the Level 4 global list, the US maintained its earlier advisory urging Americans to reconsider travel to the country due to concerns over crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest and inconsistent healthcare services.
However, the advisory places several Nigerian states under the stricter Level 4 category, warning against travel because of heightened security risks.
The affected states in northern Nigeria are Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and the northern part of Adamawa State.
In the South-South and South-East, the advisory applies to Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo and Rivers State, with Port Harcourt excluded from the Level 4 designation.
The State Department advised American citizens to avoid travelling to the listed states while urging those visiting other parts of Nigeria to exercise increased caution and remain security conscious.
The Nigerian government has, however, consistently rejected the US assessment, maintaining that the advisory reflects Washington's internal travel risk evaluation procedures and does not accurately represent the overall security situation across the country.
