The United Kingdom and Australia have asked their citizens to avoid travel to Nigeria ahead of next month’s elections.
Also, the European Union warned that insecurity might prevent elections from holding in parts of the country, adding that “security climate” was very hostile.
This is the second security alert over Nigeria in months after the United States, UK, Canada, Germany, and Bulgaria issued terror alerts last year, warning their citizens to avoid shopping malls, religious centres and hotels which they said could be targeted by terrorists.
In an updated travel advisory on Thursday, the Australian government urged its citizens to reconsider or shelve their intending visits to Nigeria.
A statement by the Australian government read “Nigeria is scheduled to hold national and state elections between 25 February and 11 March. The risk of election related violence is high. You should avoid all political gatherings and election related sites in the lead up to, during and after this period.
“Offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission across the country have already been targeted and should be avoided. Politically motivated murders and kidnappings have occurred, and the threat of further incidents remains high.”
For those planning to visit, the government urged them to “Reconsider your need to travel. We have reviewed our travel advice for Nigeria and now advise reconsider your need to travel to Abuja.’’
Corroborating the Australian alert, the UK government also warned that protests might break out during the election.
The UK government said, “Nationwide elections will take place in Nigeria in February 2023, and there is a heightened risk of protests during this period.
“Political rallies, protests and violent demonstrations can occur with little notice throughout the country. International news events can sometimes trigger anti-Western demonstrations.”
Similarly, the European Union on Thursday raised concerns about the security challenges in Nigeria, warning that it might significantly constitute a threat to the forthcoming general elections, if not addressed.
The Team Leader, EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria phase two programme, Rudolf Elbling, expressed the fear during a seminar in Abuja to assess various security threats that could impact the conduct and credibility of the elections.
“For a country like Nigeria, elections always have the potential of creating unrest and instability for a country the size of Nigeria, and that is a very dangerous thing not only for Nigeria and Nigerians, but for the whole region.
‘’So, the insecurity issue for the last one or two years is of concern for everybody. It’s a concern for every Nigerian because life has changed. You cannot move around as you could; so there is a huge potential for this to impact on the elections”, Elbling stated.
