*Tells citizens to be on the alert
The Federal Government has issued a travel advisory to its citizens travelling to the United States and the United Kingdom following recent reports of theft of international passports and other belongings of Nigerians travelling to these countries.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who announced the travel advisory on Monday at a media briefing in Abuja, said the most recent victims of these thieves were travellers to the United Kingdom, most of whom were dispossessed of their belongings at high brow shops, particularly in the high street of Oxford.
The advisory read as follows: “It has come to the attention of the government that Nigerian travellers to the United States and some countries in Europe are having their belongings, especially money and international passports, stolen at an increasingly high rate.
“The most recent victims of this are travelers to the UK, most of whom were dispossessed of their belongings at high brow shops, particularly in the high street of Oxford.
“We have therefore decided to advise Nigerians travelling to Europe and the United States to take extra precaution to avoid being dispossessed of their belongings.
“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.”
