The United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a comprehensive travel advisory for British citizens, cautioning against travel to a significant number of states across Nigeria due to escalating insecurity. The advisory, updated on October 21 and confirmed as current, highlights widespread risks including kidnapping, violent crime, and intercommunal violence in all regions of the country.

Specifically, the FCDO has advised against all travel to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Gombe in the North-East, attributing this to ongoing military operations and the resultant risk of retaliatory attacks. This region also faces a high and increasing threat from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, particularly around transport hubs, religious sites, and large gatherings, with humanitarian personnel and infrastructure also identified as potential targets. For Bauchi State, only essential travel is recommended.

In the North-West, the FCDO has advised against all travel to Katsina and Zamfara due to frequent banditry, violent attacks, a high threat of kidnapping, and incidents of inter-communal violence. Additionally, British citizens are urged to undertake only essential travel to Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, and Sokoto.

Moving to the North-Central region, non-essential travel is warned against for Niger, Kogi, Plateau, and Taraba. Nigeria's capital city, Abuja, also raises concerns, with the FCDO noting an increase in violent crime, often involving firearms, which has spread from the outer suburbs into more central and affluent areas. The advisory also points to the potential for protests in Abuja to turn violent.

In the South-East, non-essential travel is advised against for Abia, Anambra, and Imo states, citing the presence of active secessionist groups. The FCDO also extends this caution to the non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers states. Even in Lagos, a major economic hub, high levels of crime, particularly on the mainland, and significant street crime risks are highlighted.

Beyond geographical specificities, the FCDO's broader travel advisory details various risks faced by British citizens throughout Nigeria. These include warnings against withdrawing cash from ATMs at night due to increased criminal activity and advice concerning the prevalence of financial scams related to romance and work opportunities. Visitors considering fertility treatment are urged to be cautious due to reports of staged fake births, commonly referred to as "miracle babies." The UK has also restricted overseas adoption of children from Nigeria, warning of potential prosecution and ineligibility for British citizenship if legal procedures are not followed for bringing non-biologically related children into the UK.

Furthermore, the advisory highlights severe health risks, specifically mentioning deaths and serious illnesses caused by alcoholic drinks containing methanol. British citizens are strongly advised to avoid unlicensed products, as methanol cannot be detected by taste or smell. Maritime safety is also addressed, with warnings about the dangers of swimming off the Nigerian coast due to rip tides and undertows, which pose a drowning risk.

Conversely, the Nigerian Presidency has presented a different perspective on the nation's security situation, reporting an 81 percent reduction in terror-related deaths since 2015. This decline is attributed to enhanced counter-insurgency operations and strengthened collaboration between security agencies and local communities. A statement from the Presidency on its official X account detailed that over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year, and more than 124,000 fighters and their dependents have surrendered to authorities. The government also reported that over 2.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their homes, with reconstruction efforts actively underway in conflict-affected communities under the Federal Government's Resettlement Scheme. Since 2023, the Federal Government has intensified efforts through inter-agency cooperation to pursue, arrest, eliminate, or successfully convict terrorists responsible for heinous attacks within Nigerian territory.