U.S. Authorizes Voluntary Exit of Some Nigeria Embassy Staff Amid Rising Terror Threats

The State Department has authorized the voluntary departure of non‑emergency U.S. government employees and family members from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja as of April 8, 2026, citing a "deteriorating security situation" in Nigeria. The move follows the recent deployment of about 200 U.S. troops and MQ‑9 Reaper drones to Nigeria to support local forces amid fears of a renewed Boko Haram and ISIS‑linked insurgency. A day before the authorization, gunmen on motorbikes attacked two villages in Niger state roughly 155 miles from Abuja, with residents reporting at least 20 people killed, though local police claimed only three deaths. The embassy says it will remain open but with limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Abuja and is urging Americans there to consider departing if they do not need to stay for essential reasons, while the consulate in Lagos will continue routine and emergency services. A Level 3 State Department travel advisory still urges Americans to reconsider travel to Nigeria because of crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed gangs, and weak health‑care capacity, as security analysts online highlight the risk of U.S. forces being drawn deeper into West Africa’s overlapping insurgencies and banditry.