UK Travel Advisory Sparks Debate as Nasarawa Celebrates Exclusion, Six States Flagged

The UK's updated travel advisory warns against non-essential travel to Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba, Kwara and Benue states, as Nasarawa touts its exclusion while critics cite it as proof of the region's worsening insecurity.

Abuja — August 25, 2026

The United Kingdom's latest Nigeria travel advisory, updated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on August 20, has triggered fresh debate within the North Central zone, after the advisory placed six of the region's seven states under a warning against all but essential travel while notably excluding Nasarawa.

The FCDO advisory lists Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba, Kwara, and Benue among a broader group of 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory where it recommends only essential travel, citing risks linked to terrorism, kidnapping, armed crime and communal violence. 

The advisory places a small number of states, including Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Katsina and Zamfara, under a more severe warning against all travel.

The Nasarawa State Government welcomed being the only North Central state left off the "essential travel only" list, with Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abdullahi Sule, Ibrahim Addra, saying the state received the development "with humility and gratitude to God." The government said the exclusion demonstrated that its sustained efforts to prevent insecurity and maintain peace were yielding results, and pledged to intensify measures to sustain the trend.

In states that did make the list, opposition figures have seized on the advisory as external validation of long-standing criticism of state government security records. 

In Kwara, for instance, the state's PDP chapter has for months accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq's administration of failing to adequately address a worsening wave of kidnappings and bandit attacks across Kwara South and North, with former Senate President Bukola Saraki separately urging the governor to "face his responsibility" as the state's chief security officer following deadly attacks in Oke Ode. 

Similar dynamics have played out elsewhere in the region, where opposition parties argue the UK's designation reflects realities their state governments have downplayed.

Beyond the political sparring, business and tourism stakeholders in the flagged states have expressed concern that the advisory could deter foreign investment and visitors, compounding the economic strain already caused by the underlying insecurity. 

The FCDO stressed that "no travel can be guaranteed safe" and urged travelers to weigh the advisory carefully, warning that travel against its guidance could invalidate travel insurance.