The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has carried out a full review of its Nigeria travel advice, published at 14:13 UTC on Tuesday 10 November. The FCDO says the review made changes to sections including kidnapping, transport, road checkpoints and terrorism. It does not change where the FCDO advises against travel: the advise-against areas are the same as after the Sokoto change of 16 October. This post is for close protection and travel security teams with principals, staff or movements in Nigeria.
What the review covers
The FCDO's change note says the advice "has been reviewed for accuracy with changes made throughout", and names land borders, street and vehicle crime, withdrawing and exchanging money, financial scams, terrorism in Nigeria, kidnapping for ransom, transport risks, dangers at road checkpoints, taxis and buses, sea travel, swimming safety, North West Nigeria, and South East and South South Nigeria. We report what the reviewed page says. We do not set out what the earlier wording was.
Kidnap and road movement
The page says there is a high threat of kidnapping across Nigeria, in rural and urban areas and on roads between towns and cities. Armed criminal groups carry out kidnappings in the north-west and north-central regions and terrorist groups in the north-east, but incidents also occur in southern Nigeria and the outer suburbs of Abuja. It tells travellers not to assume that major roads are safe, and says: "Travelling during daylight does not remove the risk of kidnapping." Before any road journey it advises checking security conditions along the whole route, using trusted transport providers, planning to arrive before dark and varying routes and routines. It warns that criminal groups may transfer hostages to terrorist organisations.
The transport section also says that travelling in daylight does not remove the risk of kidnapping or armed robbery, and that travellers should not assume major roads or a convoy will keep them safe. The checkpoint section says unauthorised checkpoints can pose a risk of robbery, kidnapping and violence, that no checkpoint should be assumed safe, and that terrorist groups have set up checkpoints on major routes including the A3 Maiduguri-Damaturu road. For taxis, app-based services do not remove the risk of crime, driver and registration should be checked against the booking, and airport collections should be confirmed directly with the provider because criminals may pose as drivers or greeters.
Terrorism
The page says terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Nigeria, with the main threat from Islamic State West Africa and Boko Haram. Its list of recent significant attacks includes a 2025 attack in Kwara state that killed one soldier, which it describes as the first time the al-Qa'eda affiliated group JNIM has claimed an attack in Nigeria. The list also records, in 2025, an improvised explosive device attack on a mosque in Maiduguri that killed five people and injured 35, and firearms attacks that killed 63 people in Darajamal, Borno, and 16 in Morai, Kebbi. The page gives years, not dates, for these attacks.
The south-east
The regional page says armed attacks and targeted killings remain a risk in the south-east, in towns and cities as well as on isolated roads, and that police stations, checkpoints, patrols and other security facilities have been attacked, putting people nearby at risk. It records that on Saturday 17 October 2026 an attack involving explosives on a police station in Aba, Abia State, killed two police officers. It advises avoiding road journeys after dark there, warns that curfews may come in at short notice, and says reports of a new sit-at-home restriction or its cancellation should not be assumed reliable. In north-central Nigeria the page notes that the Nigerian government has warned against travelling at night, that violence has increased in Kwara State with a number of deaths reported, and that British government staff have been advised to restrict travel to an area broadly within the Abuja metropolitan area.
What stays the same
The FCDO still advises against all travel to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states and to the riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. It advises against all but essential travel to Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba, Kwara, Benue, Abia, Anambra and Imo states and the non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers. These are taken from the page's warnings section.
What the FCDO does not say
The review does not change any advice level, and the FCDO gives no reason for it. It does not date the JNIM-claimed attack beyond 2025 or place it beyond Kwara state.
What it means for close protection and travel security teams
This is The Ops Con's reading, not the FCDO's.
Treat the review as a prompt to re-read every movement plan for Nigeria. The reviewed page says plainly that daylight and major roads are not protection in themselves, while its terrorist kidnap section still advises aiming to travel only in daylight: read together, daylight is a precaution to keep, not a control to rely on. Route assessments should cover the whole route, not the destination, and should treat any checkpoint as a possible threat. Tighten airport pick-up drills so drivers are verified against booking details, not a name board. In the south-east, keep teams clear of police stations and patrols and off the roads after dark. For any task in Kwara, factor in the reported rise in violence and the JNIM claim. Check that insurance still holds for any travel into all but essential areas, and sign up for FCDO alerts.
