The U.S. State Department has announced that certain staff members at its embassy in Nigeria have been permitted to leave due to a worsening security situation in the country.

This decision follows reports of the U.S. military deploying MQ-9 Reaper drones to Nigeria amidst concerns about a possible resurgence of Boko Haram activities. Just a day prior to this announcement, gunmen attacked two villages located approximately 155 miles from Abuja, the site of the U.S. embassy, resulting in the deaths of 20 individuals, according to local residents who spoke with The Associated Press.

In a statement made on April 8, 2026, the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria conveyed, “The U.S. Department of State has authorized the voluntary departure of non-essential U.S. government employees and their families from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja due to the declining security conditions.” While the embassy in Abuja will remain operational, it noted that its capacity to offer emergency services to U.S. citizens in Nigeria will be limited.

The statement further clarified, “The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos will continue to provide both routine and emergency services to U.S. citizens in Nigeria.” The State Department’s Travel Advisory for Nigeria is currently at Level 3, advising travelers to reconsider plans to visit due to risks including crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed groups, and unreliable healthcare services.

On March 18, 2026, Nigerian soldiers were seen preparing for patrols in Maiduguri following a tragic triple suicide bombing that had claimed 23 lives two days earlier. (Audu Marte/AFP/Getty Images)

The embassy further advised, “U.S. citizens in Abuja should contemplate departing unless their presence is required for emergency or essential duties.”

The recent attacks occurred in the early hours of Tuesday in Bagna and Erena, located in the Shiroro area of Niger state. 

“They came on motorbikes and began shooting. It was a surprise attack, because it was in the early hours of the morning,” Jibrin Isah, who lives in Erena, told the AP.

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

Residents said at least 20 people were killed, with more missing. However, local police said only three people were killed. 

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

The MQ-9 drones reportedly were deployed to Nigeria in late March after 200 U.S. troops arrived in February to provide training and intelligence. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north of the country.

A spokesperson for AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command, had told the AP that U.S. troops “are working alongside their Nigerian counterparts to provide intelligence support, advisory assistance, and targeted training in support of the Nigerian Armed Forces.”  

Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups active in Nigeria are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic State and is known as Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP.

A U.S. military MQ-9 Reaper drone approaches for landing at Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP)

There is also the ISIS-linked Lakurawa, as well as other “bandit” groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining. 

President Donald Trump has spoken out against violence targeting Christians in Nigeria, telling Fox News Radio last year, “I’m really angry about it” and “What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also met with Nigerian national security advisor Nuhu Ribadu last November amid threats from Trump to cut off aid to Nigeria if the country “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” Nigerian officials have pushed back on the accusation.