The FCDO now advises against all travel to Sokoto State in north-west Nigeria. The change was published on Friday 16 October. The FCDO's change note says it continues to advise against all travel and all but essential travel to other parts of Nigeria.
What the FCDO says
The Warnings and insurance page now lists seven states under advice against all travel: Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe in the north-east, and Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto in the north-west. It also advises against all travel to the riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
A further 14 states are under advice against all but essential travel: Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba, Kwara, Benue, Abia, Anambra and Imo. So are the non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.
The page warns that travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice.
What is not in the advice
The change note gives no reason for the move and cites no incident. It names no locations inside Sokoto State.
The FCDO's Regional risks page, as read on 19 October, still lists Sokoto under all but essential travel, so the two pages disagree. The 16 October change note refers only to the Warnings and insurance page. That suggests Sokoto was previously at the lower level, but the FCDO does not say so.
The Regional risks text for the north-west describes frequent banditry and violent attacks and a high threat of kidnap. The Safety and security page names Sokoto among the states where attacks likely associated with terrorist groups have occurred since 2021. It also lists Sokoto among the north-west states where kidnap for ransom is particularly severe. Neither section was identified as changed on 16 October.
What it means for operators
These are Ops Con planning points, not FCDO guidance.
Treat the Warnings and insurance page as the controlling statement and the Regional risks page as lagging. Re-read both before tasking, and expect the regional text to be brought into line.
Check insurance before committing a team to Sokoto. The FCDO says travel against its advice could invalidate cover, so confirm the wording of medical, evacuation and kidnap and ransom policies.
The Safety and security page says criminal groups may kidnap victims by stopping cars on major highways. It advises a secure location for meetings, avoiding regular patterns of travel and travelling only in daylight where possible. It also reports an increasing trend of illegal vehicle checkpoints on major supply and commercial routes in northern Nigeria. Plan routes, timings and a fallback location accordingly.
