The United States Embassy in Abuja issued an emergency security alert on Monday warning American citizens in Nigeria about a possible terrorist threat targeting United States facilities and schools linked to the country, without identifying the source or nature of the threat.
The advisory, published on the embassy’s official website, urged American nationals to take additional precautions when travelling to the US Embassy in Abuja, the US Consulate General in Lagos, and US-affiliated schools across the country.
Recommended precautions included varying travel times and routes, staying alert in public places, keeping mobile phones charged, avoiding crowds and demonstrations, and familiarising themselves with emergency exits when entering buildings. Despite the alert, consular services at both the Abuja embassy and the Lagos consulate remained operational.
The embassy did not name any group believed to be responsible for the threat or provide further details on the intelligence behind the warning.
The alert follows a period of heightened security around US diplomatic premises in Nigeria. The embassy has been on elevated alert since the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on February 28, the start of a direct military conflict now entering its eleventh day.
The warning also follows protests in Lagos and several northern Nigerian cities by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, who took to the streets to denounce the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening strikes of the conflict. In northern Nigeria, where a sizeable Shi’ite Muslim minority maintains historical ties to Iran, the protests drew thousands of participants.
Earlier this month, the embassy cancelled all visa appointments scheduled for March 4 and temporarily closed to routine business until March 9, citing security concerns over the planned Islamic Movement protests in Abuja.
The US State Department’s broader travel advisory for Nigeria already rates the country at Level Three, advising Americans to reconsider travel, citing threats from terrorism, kidnapping, and civil unrest in multiple regions.
