We advise against ALL travel to:

• Borno State.
• Bayelsa State.
• Delta State.
• Rivers State (including Port Harcourt).
• Riverine areas of Akwa Ibom State.
• The Bakassi Peninsula.

We advise against ALL BUT ESSENTIAL travel to:

• Bauchi State.
• Plateau State (including Jos).
• Non-riverine areas of Akwa Ibom State.
• Abia State.
• Yobe State.

Other advice:

There have been demonstrations and rallies in most Nigerian towns and cities against the removal of the petrol price subsidy, which took effect on 1 January 2012. Some of these have resulted in clashes between the police and demonstrators, with some fatalities reported. You are advised to avoid all such demonstrations.

In the city of Kano, a curfew is in force between 18:00 hours and 06:00 hours, following fuel subsidy protests. During this time of heightened tension we advise British citizens in Kano to stay inside and restrict movements to an absolute minimum.

Nigerias two main trade unions, the Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress, have called an indefinite general strike, starting from Monday 9 January 2012, to protest against the removal of the subsidy. The declared aim of the strike is to close all offices, airports and seaports, banks, markets and petrol stations.

Flight schedules have been disrupted by the general strike, even though international flights to and from Lagos and Abuja have operated in recent days, you should check with your airline ahead of any travel to, from or within Nigeria, and are urged to make contingency plans in the case of disrupted travel. You are advised to check your insurance policy to determine cover in the case of a strike. It remains possible that there may be disruption to ground services at the airports, or on main roads between airports and cities, which in turn may cause airlines to cancel flights. There is also limited availability of public transport or taxis between airports and city centres. If you intend to fly, you should carefully consider whether you can safely travel to and from airports in Nigeria. Domestic flights in Nigeria have been grounded as a result of the strike. All airlines have confirmed that if there are disruptions to flights, they will inform passengers about cancellations and rescheduled flights. Non-essential journeys by British officials to and from airports in Lagos have been suspended for the time being.

As part of their strike announcement, the trade unions have advised people to stock up on food and water, and also warned that banks and petrol stations will be closed. You may wish to consider stocking up on food, water, fuel and cash before Monday. Should political tensions mount, we advise you to keep a low profile, stay alert to local developments, and stay away from areas of sensitivity, including large gatherings of people.

A significant number of our staff in Lagos have been unable to get to work due to the general strike. As a result the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos is unable to offer routine consular services for the time being. We regret that we cannot currently process applications for passports, or for naturalisation or registration as a British Citizen. We will continue to offer support in cases requiring genuine emergency assistance.