The United States Embassy Abuja has cancelled all visa appointments, asking applicants to check their emails for new dates.
The announcement was shared on the mission’s official X handle on Thursday.
“U.S. Embassy Abuja is closed for visa appointments. Applicants should check their email for details on rescheduled appointments.
“Visa operations at U.S. Consulate General Lagos continue. American citizen services are available in emergencies and by appointment.”
The decision followed a directive from the United States Department of State, which allowed non-emergency government staff and their families to leave Abuja due to worsening security concerns across Nigeria.
In its updated travel advisory, the department urged Americans to reconsider traveling to Nigeria because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping, and civil unrest.
The country was placed under “Level 3: Reconsider Travel,” while some states were classified as “Level 4: Do Not Travel.” These include Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and northern Adamawa due to terrorism and kidnapping risks.
Other states such as Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara were also highlighted over concerns of unrest, crime, and kidnapping.
Reacting to the advisory, the Federal Government of Nigeria described it as “unbalanced” and called on international partners to provide more accurate and updated assessments of the country’s security situation.
