Nigeria Travel Safety Guide

The short version

Nigeria is not one safety picture. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against all travel to several states, advises against all but essential travel to a great many more, and says nothing at all about the rest. A trip here is built by knowing which is which, and then staying on the right side of the line.

Where the FCDO advises against all travel

These are the places a leisure itinerary does not go, at any price and for any length of stay: Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Katsina and Zamfara states, and the riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River. Riverine here means the river and swamp locations reachable by boat but not by road.

Where it advises against all but essential travel

This is the longer list and the one that surprises people, because it contains several of the places Nigeria is famous for. Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Jigawa and Sokoto in the north. Niger State, Kogi, Plateau State, Taraba, Kwara and Benue across the middle, along with the outer suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory. Abia, Anambra and Imo in the south east, and the non-riverine parts of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.

Read that against a map and you have most of Nigeria by area. What is left unlisted is the south west and a handful of southern states: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and the non-riverine parts of Cross River, plus the Abuja metropolitan area, where the advice is to be cautious rather than to stay away.

Kidnap, and the sentence people skip

The FCDO is unusually direct about this and it is worth quoting rather than paraphrasing. Kidnappings are described as widespread, and as something that could occur anywhere in the country. It goes on to say that British nationals are seen as legitimate targets, including tourists, aid workers, journalists and business travelers.

We would rather put that in front of you than bury it. It does not mean a visit is impossible. It does mean that the ordinary travel-blog framing, which files this risk under the north east and moves on, is not what the source says.

The everyday risks

Street and vehicle crime is high throughout the country: muggings, armed robbery and carjacking, with rural roads described as especially dangerous. Visiting foreign nationals are targeted for perceived wealth. The practical consequences are dull and effective. Limit road travel after dark. Do not carry the day's cash. Leave the watch and the jewelry at home. Areas around banks and ATMs have seen a spike in criminal activity, so withdraw inside a building and never at night, and keep a card in sight when it is being used.

Two other things are specific to Nigeria. Curfews and vehicle restrictions are imposed, amended and lifted at short notice, and failing to observe one carries a real risk of arrest. And mobile networks have in the past been suspended with very little warning, which is worth knowing before you rely on a phone as your only way of reaching anyone.

The health half, which is not optional

A safety page that stops at crime has left out the risk most likely to affect you. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records malaria transmission across all areas of Nigeria and recommends that travelers here take prescription medicine to prevent it, started some days before departure. It also records that active cholera transmission is widespread in the country, and recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccination, both of which are about food and water.

A yellow fever certificate is an entry requirement rather than a suggestion, and the FCDO advises checking vaccine recommendations at least eight weeks before travel. Read that alongside what it says about care on the ground: medical standards differ, you will pay for treatment at a public hospital, and there can be shortages of supplies and equipment. Insurance covering treatment and evacuation is not a formality on this trip.

What we do about it

We plan within the unlisted states, we move groups by arranged vehicle rather than by street taxi, and we build days that finish before dark. Where a client asks about a place inside a restricted state, we say so plainly rather than quietly routing around it. See getting around and visa and entry requirements.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Nigeria travel advice: the FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Nigeria and against all but essential travel to further parts. Accessed 14 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Nigeria regional risks: the states the FCDO advises against all travel to, and the states it advises against all but essential travel to. Accessed 14 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Nigeria safety and security: terrorism, kidnap described as widespread and able to occur anywhere, street and vehicle crime, curfews and financial scams. Accessed 14 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Nigeria health: yellow fever, schistosomiasis, Zika virus, malaria and dengue, and what medical care costs. Accessed 14 September 2026.
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Travelers’ Health, Nigeria: the vaccines and medicines recommended before travel. Accessed 14 September 2026.