Why the US Asked Embassy Staff to Leave Abuja and Placed 23 Nigerian States on Its Do Not Travel List

The United States government has ordered its non-emergency embassy staff and their families to leave Abuja over growing security concerns, in a move that has drawn fresh attention to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

The directive was issued by the US Department of State on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, through an updated travel advisory. In the same notice, the US also advised its citizens to reconsider travelling to Nigeria because of crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, and the uneven availability of healthcare services.

As part of the advisory, 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states were placed on the US government’s Do Not Travel list, showing the level of concern Washington now has about the security situation in the country.

The US said violent crime remains common across Nigeria. It listed threats such as armed robbery, assault, carjacking, kidnapping, hostage taking, roadside banditry, and rape as major risks. It also warned that kidnapping for ransom happens often, especially along major roads, and said some criminal gangs may target Americans because they are seen as wealthy.

The states named on the Do Not Travel list are Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, except Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

The advisory also pointed to terrorism as a major reason for the decision. According to the US, terrorist groups are still active in Nigeria and may carry out attacks without warning. It said such attacks could happen in shopping centres, markets, hotels, places of worship, schools, government buildings, transport hubs, restaurants, bars, and other crowded public spaces.

This warning comes amid recent deadly incidents in parts of the country. One of the most notable was the suicide bombing in Maiduguri, Borno State, where more than 20 people were reportedly killed. The incident added to growing fears about how deeply insecurity has spread.

The US government also used the advisory to raise concern about Nigeria’s healthcare system. It said many medical facilities in the country do not meet the standards available in the United States or Europe. The advisory noted that some hospitals lack basic drugs for conditions like diabetes and asthma, while emergency services remain weak or unreliable.

It further warned about counterfeit drugs, poor ambulance services, limited access to trained paramedics, and the common practice of demanding cash payment before treatment. Because of this, Americans travelling to Nigeria were advised to come with enough prescription and over-the-counter medication to last throughout their stay.

The advisory also encouraged travellers to make sure their vaccines are up to date, including yellow fever, meningitis, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and polio. It added that anyone travelling to Nigeria should take malaria prevention seriously because the country remains a high risk area.

Nigeria continues to face multiple security crises across different regions. The northeast is still battling insurgency, while bandit attacks and abductions remain a serious threat in the northwest and parts of the north central. The Middle Belt has also seen repeated violence linked to farmer-herder clashes.

Recent attacks in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Katsina have kept concerns high. In the southeast, separatist violence remains a problem despite government crackdowns. In the south, oil theft, piracy, and militant activity continue to affect security, while kidnapping has also spread into parts of the southwest.

President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly promised to improve security across Nigeria. However, the latest action by the United States is likely to deepen concerns about how serious the situation has become and whether enough is being done to reverse it.