Warden Messages
December 17, 2008
The following message is being issued jointly by the U.S. Embassy Abuja and U.S. Consulate General Lagos for American citizens in Nigeria.
This Warden Message is being issued to update American citizens in Nigeria about the November 27th incidents of violence in Jos City in Plateau State which resulted in personal injuries, fatalities and significant damage to property. While the stationing of Nigerian security services to Jos has brought the situation under control, the city remains under curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and the environment is still tense.
As a result, the U.S. Mission Nigeria has updated its travel policy and has temporarily deferred travel of U.S. Mission personnel to Plateau State. This travel policy supersedes the warden message of December 6, which informed Americans that the U.S. mission had temporarily deferred non-essential travel of U.S. mission personnel to all areas north of Abuja/Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Although there have been no recent incidents of violence reported in the city of Jos and areas North of Abuja/FCT since the November 27th outbreak, there remains concern about possible acts of isolated communal violence that could erupt quickly and without warning. American citizens are urged to review the Travel Warning on Nigeria, take any necessary security precautions to ensure their own safety and wellbeing and to reevaluate their travel plans in light of the foregoing information.
We continue to advise all Americans to review their security procedures, remain vigilant to their surroundings, monitor local news stations for updates, and report specific incidents of targeted violence to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the U. S. Consulate General in Lagos at the numbers below.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs internet website at http://travel.state.gov/, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings can be found. Up to date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. Federal Holidays.)
U.S. Embassy Abuja is located at Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central Business District, Abuja; the local number is 09-461-4000. If you are calling from the United States, please dial 011 (234) (9) 461-4000. E-Mail: ConsularAbuja@state.gov . The U.S. Consulate General Lagos is located at 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos; the local number is 01-460-3400. E-Mail: LagosACS@state.gov. The U.S. Mission Nigeria Internet Website: http://nigeria.usembassy.gov