The federal government has issued a travel advisory to Nigerians traveling to Europe and the United States, urging them to take extra precautions to safeguard their belongings.

There has reportedly been a recent surge in reports of Nigerians being robbed of their personal belongings, including passports, in London. The warning comes as a response to the worrying trend.

The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued the warning while speaking at the fifth edition of the "President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) Administration Scorecard 2015-2023 Series" in Abuja on Monday.

The scorecard series is organized by the Ministry of Information and Culture to showcase the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. The fifth edition featured presentations by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar.

Speaking about the advisory, Mohammed said, "It has come to the attention of the government that Nigerian travelers to the United States and some countries in Europe are having their belongings, especially money and international passports were stolen at an increasingly high rate."

He advised Nigerians traveling to these countries to be extra vigilant and take necessary precautions to avoid being victimized.

However, according to Mohammed, the travel advisory is not in the same vein as those issued by embassies and high commissions.

"This is not your typical travel advisory. Issuing such is the prerogative of our embassies/high commissions as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is merely a piece of advice to Nigerians who may be visiting the affected parts of the world," the minister said.

Most of the recent victims of the crime have been travelers to the U.K., who have had their belongings stolen from them at high-end shops, particularly in Oxford.

In another incident, two members of the Nigerian World Cup football team had their briefcases, containing around £3,500 in travelers cheques, stolen from the reception of a hotel during a 24 hour stop-over at Holiday Inn in Hayes, England, in June.

In a recent incident in India, Nigerian national Ali Mohammad Imam was reportedly robbed of $13,000 by two members of a gang, who posed as policemen in Gurugram. Iman, who was visiting the city for kidney treatment, said the incident occurred on Nov. 7 when he was stopped by the two men while he was on his way to his guest house. However, no advisory has been issued for India.

travel
UNSPLASH