The United States government has
The US gave the instruction via an updated travel warning released on Wednesday, August 3, 2016.
The highest caution was given with regards to North-Eastern states, Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, which have suffered the worst of the Boko Haram insurgency.
The US Department of State also listed states in the Middle Belt which have been plagued with attacks from rampaging Fulani herdsmen and states in the Niger Delta where militants operate and foreigners are often kidnapped.
The 20 states are: Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and Zamfara.
In giving the warning, the Department of State highlighted the fact that it wouldn’t be able to protect its citizens in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states because the security situation in the area “remains fluid and unpredictable.”
The US also warned of the frequency of kidnappings, robberies, and other armed attacks in some of the states and called for vigilance in crowded areas due to the activities of Boko Haram.
Boko Haram has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Department of State.
The US further cautioned Americans on the likelihood of pro-Biafra protests which have often turned violent and attacks by pirates off the coast of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea.