The UK Government has issued a travel warning to its residents in Nigeria, advising them not to travel to 12 States in the country due to the threat of terrorism
The warning came from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which was concerned about the prospect of terrorist attacks in Nigeria.
In a statement posted on its website on October 16, 2021, it voiced concern about protests and increased security in major cities as a result of the trial of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra).
The Foreign Government also advised citizens to keep an eye on local media and stay away from protests and huge gatherings.
Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara are the Nigerian states listed by the UK.
Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River are the other states.
The FCDO further warned against all but necessary travel to Bauchi, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Sokoto, and Kogi, as well as within 20 kilometres of the Nigeria-Niger border in Kebbi and Abia states.
It also warned UK citizens against visiting Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers states’ non-riverine areas.
Events to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests are expected to take place around the country beginning October 18th, according to the alert.
“Protests and increased security presence are possible in big cities such as Lagos and Abuja. In Abuja, a high-profile trial of a separatist leader is also set for October 21. As a result, there may be more protests and a stronger security presence in Abuja and the Southeast. You should follow local media in all affected locations and avoid any demonstrations or big gatherings,” the alert read.
The Nigerian Government has mandated that all telecommunication companies in Nigeria stop providing services to Zamfara State as of September 3, 2021, according to FCDO.
All mobile services, including WiFi, would be suspended, according to the FCDO.
A number of other state governments, including Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger, had also adopted a partial telecom service outage, according to the report.
“There has been an increase in protests and demonstrations in Nigeria’s south-east region since August 9th. Marches, including “Stay at Home” protests, are expected across the Southeast during October. Previously, there have been instances of violence during sit-in protests. You should keep an eye on local media, avoid any demonstrations or big gatherings, and obey all police and security orders,” the alert stated.
Several attacks and targeted killings were reported in the South-east and South-south areas, particularly in the states of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Imo, Abia, Anambra, Delta, Edo, and Ebonyi.
Some of these attacks, according to the FCDO, occurred on secluded roads and in rural regions.
However, there is a possibility that they will emerge in urban areas, according to the report.
“There’s also a higher chance of indiscriminate assaults on law enforcement and security infrastructure, which might harm innocent bystanders. Curfews have been implemented in a number of states. Travelers to these places are encouraged to be cautious if travelling in isolated areas at night, and to keep an eye on local news and information channels for updates, including on local curfews,” according to the advice.
This goes to show that the United Kingdom’s government puts her citizen first way above anything else and would not want them to fall in arm’s way whatsoever regardless of what the host community, state, or nation is passing through in the hands of their supposed rulers. They would simply turn a deaf ear and a blind eye towards any form of injustice meted out to the citizen of the host nation because they are in the host nation’s community for ‘diplomacy’ sake (for the benefit of it) and not for some humanitarian and/or charitable services as the international media always portray them.
Anyway, I hope the Nigerian Government can take a cue from this by also putting her citizens first in all they do both the ones at home and those scattered in the world over.
