US expands Nigeria travel warning, lets embassy staff leave Abuja

LAGOS, April 9 (Reuters) - The United ‌States has ​urged its ​citizens to reconsider travel to Nigeria and authorised the departure of non‑emergency U.S. government employees and their families from the ‌embassy in Abuja, citing worsening security conditions in Africa’s most populous ⁠nation.

The embassy said separately it had closed for visa appointments but American citizen services were ‌available in emergencies and by ‌appointment. It did not give a reason for the closure or say how long it would last.

* U.S. travel advisories often shape how investors,international organisations ​and airlines assess country risk.The move to allow staff departures signals heightened concern inWashington as kidnappings, banditry and attacks on securityforces persist, particularly ⁠in northern Nigeria. * In an updated advisory late on Wednesday, the StateDepartment kept Nigeria at Level 3: ​Reconsider Travel, but addedPlateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger and Taraba to states Americanswere warned not to visit. That puts 23 out ​of 36 of thecountry's states in the “Do Not ‌Travel” category. * The U.S. highlighted threats from Islamist insurgents inthe northeast, criminal gangs in the northwest and ongoingviolence in ⁠parts of southern and southeastern Nigeria,including oil‑producing regions * Nigeria's information ministry said in a statement thatthe travel alert was guided by U.S. internal protocols and didnot reflect the overall ⁠security situation across Nigeria. * “While we acknowledge isolated security challenges insome areas, there is no general ​breakdown of law and order, andthe vast majority of the country remains stable,” the statementsaid. * Last month, Washington warned of a “terrorist threat”against U.S. facilities and affiliated schools in Nigeria. * ‌The U.S. reviews the advisory several times a year and haskept Nigeria at Level 3 or Level 4 for ‌much of the past decadedue to persistent insecurity. * The U.S. military has multiple ⁠MQ-9 drones operating inNigeria alongside ‌200 troops to provide training ​andintelligence support to the military, which is fighting Islamistmilitants across the north.

(Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe, Editing by Alex Richardson and ‌Cynthia Osterman)

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