The United States Department of State has placed 23 countries on its highest travel advisory, Level 4: Do Not Travel, warning American citizens to avoid travelling to the listed destinations under any circumstances because of serious security risks and the limited ability of the US government to provide assistance.
In an updated advisory published on the department’s TravelGov X handle and sighted on Saturday, the State Department said the Level 4 designation is reserved for countries where local conditions pose severe threats to travellers or where the US government’s capacity to assist its citizens is significantly restricted.
“We issue Travel Advisories with Levels 1–4. Level 4 means DO NOT TRAVEL. We assign Level 4 based on local conditions and/or our limited ability to help Americans there,” the department stated.
“These places are dangerous. Do not go for ANY reason,” it added.
Among the countries placed on the highest-risk list are 11 African nations: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
The latest advisory comes months after the State Department retained Nigeria at Level 3: Reconsider Travel, while designating several Nigerian states as Level 4: Do Not Travel because of security concerns.
The affected states include Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and northern Adamawa in the North.
In the South, the advisory applies to Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers State, excluding Port Harcourt.
According to the advisory, US citizens are advised to reconsider travel to Nigeria due to concerns over crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest and inconsistent healthcare services, while travel to the designated Level 4 states is strongly discouraged.
Reacting to the advisory, the Federal Government described the US classification as a routine precaution based on America’s internal assessment procedures rather than a reflection of the overall security situation in Nigeria.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said although the country continues to face isolated security challenges, there has been no breakdown of law and order.
He maintained that Nigeria remains stable and that the government is continuing efforts to address security concerns across affected parts of the country.