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Sunday 12 January 2014

U.S. Revises Travel Alert on Nigeria, Lists 16 Most Dangerous States

U.S. Revises Travel Alert on Nigeria, Lists 16 Most Dangerous StatesU.S. authorities have updated a travel alert on Nigeria, warning the American citizens against travelling to 16 states in the country, including the north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

The three states are currently under the emergency rule, declared by President Goodluck Jonathan on May 14, 2013, and prolonged in November 2013.
The revised alert dated January 8, 2014, was released by the U.S. State Department.
It also recommended Americans to avoid unnecessary travels to Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Gombe and Jigawa states.
The other states on the list included Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara.
The State Department added that the level of kidnappings, robberies and other armed attacks is high in these states.
However, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Imo and Rivers states, are not in the travel alert list anymore, but they were present there in the previous edition of the list on June 2013.
The U.S described the security situation in Nigeria as “fluid and unpredictable”, and warned against travel to the Gulf of Guinea because of the threat of piracy.
The travel alert urged all the American citizens to be particularly vigilant around government security facilities, “places of worship and locations where large crowds may gather”.
“Security measures in Nigeria remain heightened due to threats posed by extremist groups.
“Boko Haram, an extremist group based in northeast Nigeria designated as a Foreign Terrorist organisation by the Department of State, has claimed responsibility for many attacks, mainly in northern Nigeria,” the statement read.
The State Department also warned about the recent activities of the Ansaru group, an offshoot of Boko Haram sect, which has carried out several kidnappings targeting foreigners in Nigeria.
It noted that the group also claimed responsibility for other violent acts in the past year.

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