20 Nations Issue Travel Warnings Against Nigeria

NIGERIA’S failing security
situation is causing a global
sense of frustration and there is
fear of possible isolation, judging
from western nations’ responses
to the increasing wave of terror
attacks in the country.
Following significant negative
media attention on an
international scale, about 20
countries have advised their
citizens to stay away from
Nigeria, mostly due to last week’s
terror attacks. Even at the United
Nations, where Nigeria is
currently holding the gavel as
this month’s President of the
Security Council, there is a sense
of frustration, as four major
official statements criticised the
state of insecurity in Nigeria.
Specifically, the Secretary
General, Ban Ki-moon, has had
to issue two statements of the
four critical statements on the
Nigeria terror attacks within three
days. His first statement was on
Monday the 14th after the
Nyanya Bus station bombing,
and then on Wednesday after
the kidnapping of over 100
schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno
State.
Then, from the Security Council,
where Prof Joy Ogwu has been
presiding as rotating president
for April, came the third UN
statement on the suspected
Boko Haram attacks this week.
UNICEF, again, issued a strongly
worded statement after the
abduction of the schoolgirls,
making it the fourth UN
statement condemning the
situation in Nigeria. UN sources
believe this is not a very good
sign for the country’s image,
considering its standing at the
UN.
Diplomatic sources also hinted
that Ogwu, the Nigeria’s
Permanent Representative and
notable female Ambassador in
the UN community in New York,
has had to shoulder the
frustrating responsibility of
chairing the Security Council with
the burden of knowing her own
country itself is a major
international security concern.
Not surprisingly, it is believed
that Ogwu’s moral authority as
Council President has been
severely weakened by the rising
threat of Boko Haram terrorism
during Nigeria’s presidency
rotation this month.
All the four UN statements
showed a deep sense of
international outrage but also of
frustration at the seemingly
helplessness of the Nigerian
government to effectively control
the situation. In fact, some of the
statements noted that
international laws are being
broken with impunity in Nigeria.
In its statement condemning
both acts of terror, UNICEF called
“for greater efforts to protect all
children throughout Nigeria,”
and that “the Nigerian
government should urgently take
steps to make sure that the
children are returned to their
families unharmed and that they
can continue their education in a
safe environment.”
On the other hand, travel
warnings against Nigeria are fast
becoming the new international
fad.
While countries like the US have
already issued several warnings
to its citizens about Nigeria, it
has updated the advisory earlier
this year and has kept those
travel advisories in force up until
now. But more nations are doing
the same after last week set of
terrorist attacks in Abuja and
Borno State. According to a
statement from Canada’s Foreign
Affairs Ministry, in an updated
advisory released over the
weekend, Canadians have been
advised to avoid “non-essential
travel to Nigeria,” declaring that
“the security situation
throughout the country is
unpredictable, and there is a
significant risk of terrorism,
crime, inter-communal clashes,
armed attacks and kidnappings.”
The very detailed warning was
updated after the Nyanya bus
stop bombing and the kidnap of
over 100 girls in Borno State
both of which happened last
week.
In its current travel advisory on
Nigeria, the US government
categorically warned its citizens,
recommending that “US citizens
avoid all travel to Adamawa,
Borno and Yobe states.” The US
government further added that
the security situation in Nigeria
“remains fluid and
unpredictable.”
From the Australian government
also came, this week, an
updated travel warning to its
citizens against going to Nigeria.
According to the statement from
the Australian Foreign Affairs and
Trade Department, an updated
warning against Nigeria was
issued last Tuesday April 15, a
day after the Nyanya bus stop
bombing.
“Australians in Nigeria are
reminded that, in recent years,
places of worship have been
attacked during Easter period.
We continue to advise
Australians to reconsider their
need to travel to Nigeria at this
time due to the very high threat
of terrorist attack, the high risk of
kidnapping, the unpredictable
security situation, the heightened
risk of violent civil unrest and the
high level of violent crime,” the
official warning stressed.
The situation is the same in the
United Kingdom. On April 16,
two days after the Nyanya attack,
the UK government also updated
its travel warning to its citizens
ruling out all travel by its citizens
to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa,
Bauchi, and Gombe states. The
same advisory was made by the
British government regarding
travel to Kano city, Okene,
riverine states and Warri city.
That travel warning also
referenced the Nyanya attack.
At the European Union, several
other western nations have also
asked its citizens to avoid travel
to Nigeria. They are France,
Germany, Austria, Belgium,
Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Spain and Sweden.