Security Alert: US Warns Citizens to Avoid 2 Places in Abuja as Details Emerge

Security Alert: US Warns Citizens to Avoid 2 Places in Abuja as Details Emerge

  • US Mission barred embassy staff from Abuja military and government sites amid heightened global security concerns, effective Monday, June 23
  • The advisory urged Americans in Nigeria to avoid large gatherings, stay alert in public spaces, and review personal security plans
  • Consular services in Abuja and Lagos will remain open, while Nigerian authorities have yet to respond to the latest security alert

FCT, Abuja - The United States Mission in Nigeria on Monday, June 23, issued a fresh advisory that bars all embassy staff and their families from travelling, for any non-official purpose, to Nigerian military installations or other government facilities in Abuja.

The warning followed what the Embassy called “heightened security concerns linked to current global developments.”

The US has warned its citizens in Abuja to avoid two specific locations due to security concerns.
US authorities have issued a security alert advising their nationals in Abuja to steer clear of two places. Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla
Source: Getty Images

In the one-page notice, seen by Legit.ng, the Mission wrote:

“All U.S. Embassy employees and their families are prohibited from non-official travel to a Nigerian military site or other government venue in Abuja at this time.”

The advisory urges Americans to rethink routines and large gatherings

The security message listed a series of precautions for American citizens already in Nigeria:

1. Stay especially alert in places frequented by Westerners, expatriates and senior officials;

2. Avoid large gatherings and “consider limiting unnecessary travel”;

3. Vary daily routines;

4. Locate emergency exits whenever entering a building;

5. Review personal security plans regularly.

Consular services remain open in Abuja and Lagos

Despite the restrictions on movement, the embassy stressed that its consular sections in Abuja and the Consulate-General in Lagos “remain open for routine and emergency services”.

“We will keep our website updated with any changes,” the notice added, directing citizens to ng.usembassy.gov for real-time information.

Nigerian officials yet to comment, security analysts weigh in

Nigerian security agencies have yet to react as the US raises fresh security concerns
No response yet from Nigerian agencies over the latest US security alert. Photo credit: Pius Utomi Ekpei
Source: Getty Images

As of press time, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security agencies had yet to respond to the security notice.

The alert comes amid global jitters linked to escalating conflicts in the Middle East and renewed extremist activity in parts of West Africa.

In October 2022 and again in October 2023, the US Mission issued similar warnings after intelligence pointed to potential terror plots in Abuja.

Reacting, a security analyst Kabir Adamu told Legit.ng that the advisory “reflects increased anxiety over soft-target attacks on symbols of state power."

He added that it “could trigger tighter security cordons around both military installations and federal secretariats in the capital.”

He warned residents to expect heavier checkpoints in coming days and advised “all Abuja dwellers, not only foreigners, to exercise extra vigilance.”

US embassy in Nigeria issues warning to visa applicants over fraud

Previously, Legit.ng reported that the United States Embassy in Nigeria issued a stern warning on March 19, 2025, about the severe repercussions of committing visa fraud.

According to the embassy, applicants found guilty of submitting fraudulent documents or false information could face lifelong bans from entering the United States.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ezra Ukanwa avatar

Ezra Ukanwa (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Ezra Ukanwa is a Reuters-certified journalist with over 5 years of professional experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from Anchor University, Lagos. Currently, he is the Politics and Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng, where he brings his expertise to provide incisive, impactful coverage of national events. Ezra was recognized as Best Campus Journalist at the Anchor University Communications Awards in 2019 and is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). Contact him at: ezra.ukanwa@corp.legit.ng or +2349036989944

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