The US has approved the departure of Nigerian embassy staff due to a ‘decline’ in security

The State Department said it had authorized the departure of some staff at the embassy in Nigeria due to the “deterioration of the security situation” in the African country.

This incident happened after many weeks it was reported that the US military sent MQ-9 Reaper drones to Nigeria due to the fear that the terrorist group Boko Haram will rise again. The day before the mandate, gunmen attacked two villages 155 kilometers from Abuja, where the US embassy is located, killing 20 people, residents told the Associated Press.

“On April 8, 2026, the US Department of State authorized the voluntary evacuation of government employees and non-emergency family members to the US Embassy in Abuja due to the volatile security situation,” said the US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria. “The US Embassy in Abuja will remain open but will be able to provide emergency services to US citizens in Nigeria.”

“The US Consulate General in Lagos will continue to provide regular and emergency services to US citizens in Nigeria,” it added. “The Department of State Travel Advisory for Nigeria remains at Level 3, recommending travelers to reconsider travel to Nigeria due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed groups, and lack of consistent health care facilities.”

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The ambassador also said that “American citizens in Abuja should consider leaving if you do not need to stay for urgent or important purposes.”

The latest attack took place in the early hours of Tuesday in Bagna and Erena, Shiroro area of ​​Niger state.

“They came on motorcycles and started shooting. It was an attack, because it was early in the morning,” Jibrin Isah, who lives in Erena, told AP.

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Police gather at the scene of Sunday night gunmen in Gari Ya Waye community in Jos North Nigeria, Monday, March 30, 2026. (Samson Omale/AP)

Residents say at least 20 people are dead, and some are missing. However, the local police said that only three people died.

The State Department said in a travel advisory issued Wednesday that “there is a risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activities in Nigeria,” adding that “Terrorists are working with local gangs to expand their reach” and “They may attack with little or no warning.”

The MQ-9 fighter jets were reportedly sent to Nigeria in late March after the arrival of 200 US troops in February to provide training and intelligence. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is facing a security crisis, especially in the north of the country.

A spokesman for AFRICOM, the US Africa Command, told the AP that the US military is “working with its Nigerian counterparts to provide intelligence assistance, advisory assistance, and targeted training in support of the Nigerian military.”

Among the most prominent Islamist groups operating in Nigeria are Boko Haram and the insurgent, Islamic State-affiliated group known as the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP.

A US military MQ-9 Reaper aircraft approaches for landing at the Rafael Hernandez Airfield in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP)

There are also ISIS-affiliated Lakurawa, as well as other “criminal” groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.

President Donald Trump has spoken out against the violence against Christians in Nigeria, telling Fox News Radio last year that “I am very angry” and “What is happening in Nigeria is shameful.”

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth he also met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuwa Ribadu last November amid Trump’s threats to cut off aid to Nigeria if the country “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” Nigerian officials dismissed the case.

Anders Hagstrom of Fox News Digital and The Associated Press contributed to this report.