The Australian government has issued a stern travel warning, urging its citizens to reconsider the need to take a trip to Nigeria.

In a statement obtained on Tuesday, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) cited a volatile security environment marked by terrorism, kidnapping, and the potential outbreak of civil unrest as reasons for the advice.

The travel advisory read “Reconsider your need to travel to Nigeria overall due to the volatile security situation and threat of terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime, and the risk of civil unrest.

“There’s a high risk of terrorist attacks across Nigeria by various militant groups. Attacks could be indiscriminate or may target foreign interests.

“Potential targets include places where crowds gather, such as hotels, bars, restaurants, political meetings, government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping malls, sporting events, transport hubs and networks, law enforcement facilities, international organisations and camps for displaced people.

“Reconsider your need to travel to Nigeria overall, including the capital Abuja.

“Do not travel to Adamawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross Rivers, Delta, Federal Capital Territory (excluding Abuja), Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.

The caution comes amid recent data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, which reported 2,235,954 abductions between May 2023 and April 2024.

Ransom payments during this period totalled an estimated N2.2 trillion, with an average ransom of N2.7 million per incident.

The North-West region accounted for the highest ransom payments at N1.2 trillion, while the South-East reported the lowest at N85.4 billion. (AFP: Text, Excluding Headline)