US Orders Non-emergency Staff To Leave Nigeria Embassy Amid Worsening Insecurity 

Olumuyiwa Olumuyiwa

As the insecurity in the country worsens by the day, the US  has taken what appears to be a preemptive measure to safeguard the lives of its nationals working in Nigeria.

This is as the US state department ordered non-emergency government employees and government employee family members to leave  amid the  relentless surge in insecurity in Nigeria.

This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday.

According to  an updated travel advisory, the US government said:

“Though most of the overall risk indicators remained, Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba states were added to the ‘Do not travel’ list “due to terrorism, crime, and kidnapping”.

The changes were made after recent attacks in some of the states.

Recall that the growing insecurity in the country has spread from the North East considered as its hotbed to the North Central. Recently, on March  29, gunmen invaded the Gari Ya Waye area of Angwan Rukuba, Jos North, killing more than 20 residents and injuring several others.

The attack was widely condemned because it coincided with the Christian celebration of Palm Sunday.

On Tuesday, gunmen reportedly killed at least 20 people in several communities in Niger state and scores in Kebbi.

Other states on the ‘Do not travel’ list include Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers.

The US’ warning to its citizens working in Nigeria came months after the United Kingdom advised its nationals against embarking on non-essential travel to 21 states in Nigeria including  Niger, Plateau, and Kebbi.

NIGERIA DIPS IN GLOBAL TERRORISM INDEX

Recall that the unsavory security situations in the country has led to the Africa’s most populous nation’s dip in global terrorism index.

The global terrorism index  (GTI) report for 2026 ranked Nigeria the fourth most unsafe country in the world.

According to the index, Nigeria recorded the largest increase in fatalities last year as attacks increased by 43 percent compared to 2024.

Giving the breakdown of the casualties recorded in the country and the terrorist organisations responsible for them,  GTI noted that Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram were responsible for 82.8 percent of all terrorism deaths in the country in 2025.

Pakistan topped the index, followed by Burkina Faso in second position and Niger Republic, which is third in the ranking.