KANO SAFE, RESIDENTS DISMISS UK TRAVEL ADVISORY

The Kano State Government has rejected the latest United Kingdom travel advisory covering parts of Nigeria, insisting that Kano remains safe and secure.

The Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, said the state was not among the areas experiencing the level of security challenges cited in the UK advisory.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its Nigeria travel advice on August 20, advising against all but essential travel to Kano and several other states because of security concerns.

Waiya said Kano had continued to strengthen its internal security architecture through community-based security initiatives, youth rehabilitation programmes and support for security agencies.

He pointed to the state government's Safe Corridor initiative and other youth-focused programmes as part of efforts to promote peace and improve security.

The commissioner urged the UK and other foreign governments to consult relevant security agencies within the state before issuing travel advisories, arguing that local authorities were better positioned to provide current information on the security situation.

Some Kano residents who spoke on the issue also dismissed the advisory, describing it as excessive and saying similar warnings had been issued by foreign governments during previous periods of political and security uncertainty.

One resident, Abubakar Abdullahi, recalled that the United States and other countries had issued travel warnings to their citizens during previous security crises without the situation developing as feared.

Another resident, Yahaya, linked the latest warning to the approach of the 2027 general elections and described it as an attempt to create unnecessary fear.

However, the UK government maintains that its travel advice is based on assessed security risks and covers areas where it believes travellers may face threats including terrorism, kidnapping and violent crime.

The Kano Government maintained that residents and visitors should not be unnecessarily alarmed, while urging foreign missions to obtain accurate and up-to-date security information before issuing broad travel warnings.

The development has renewed debate over the balance between legitimate security warnings and concerns that broad travel advisories could affect investment, tourism and international engagement with affected states.