I have a freind from Nigeria whose sister was kidnapped on her way back home from school in which the family was held to ransom. Also I know a white girl whose family went to Nigeria on holiday on the recommendation of her Nigerian freind and they too were kidnapped and held to ransom. They are ordinary people not oil workers. I have sympathy for the farm workers and the poorer people of Nigeria who want to see more money distributed to their villages. I feel people may be just kidnapping anyone now for financial gain as it is becoming a trend. So is it safe to visit Nigeria under this growing trend?

I think it depends on the part of Nigeria you visit. It is relatively safe in Lagos as long as you are not out after dark because as they say life is cheap in Nigeria and that is when armed robbers are likely to come out to play. I was there last in September 2006 but stayed in Lagos, though my family are originally from Delta State, I did not visit there as I was advised not to by family members because of the kidnappings and other stuff happening in that region.

I would advise anyone travelling to Nigeria to go with close friends or family members who are familiar with Nigeria, who can at least speak the local lingua, Pidgin English convincingly or Yoruba which most people understand in Lagos. Nigeria is not a tourist destination and one can not wander around aimlessly like they would do in a tourist country like The Gambia for instance. Some of the local street Lagosians are ruthless and will not hesitate to take advantage of a fresh Westerner who they probably perceive to have 'loads' of money on their person. Be extremely careful at the airport.

In the North of Nigeria Muslim extremism has also made that area quite volatile too. If you are ever there be sure to make sure you are covered up as they do not like women there to show bits of legs or bust there no matter how hot it is. It is said that Ladies who have ignored these rules have been jumped on and beaten up.

What a load of rubbish! Since when do YOU, Rockette know ANYTHING of substance about ANY African country or the people? Which Naija folks have YOU been talking to for you to know that they are "reeling" from these so called events?

Why don't you stick to dissing Black American men.......you do it very nicely indeed!

This thread stinks of "hear say".......i know many Nigerians, many who are building up large, they would not be doing it so if it was as unsafe as it is rumored in this thread. I even did a read around, i didn't find anything that alarming as this thread is suggesting.

Should we all now stop going to America because of what we see on CNN? Or maybe most of us in Britain should pack up and run because of all these Peados roaming the streets!


I don't care what anyone says, as long as you is black, most African cities are probably more safer for you than alot of Western glorified dumps!

Two isolated incidents you mentioned, how is it a "growing trend"??

This thread gets the bunny:

A three year old girl was kidnapped in Nigeria today, her father is white British and her mother is black Nigerian. This sparked a discussion on skynews this afternoon about kidnappings in Nigeria (mainly the southern region). Apparently there are approximately 200 kidnappings in Nigeria which is on the rise, hostages are usually freed within a week and on the odd occasion some are murderd. If there were 200 kidnappings per year mainly in southern England and I was a tourist coming into the country I would question that decision... fact.

It's good news that Africans are taking steps to build African countries but we must be responsible. This topic cannot be ignored hence you would be putting lives at risk better to bring it up.

Kidnappping in Nigeria are a problem

Not to Brazil/Mexico levels but certainly not 'isolated'

Nigeria[/color] is not a tourist destination and one can not wander around aimlessly like they would do in a tourist country like The Gambia for instance. Some of the local street Lagosians are ruthless and will not hesitate to take advantage of a fresh Westerner who they probably perceive to have 'loads' of money on their person. Be extremely careful at the airport.

Exactly!

Stop watching religiously the BBC and CNN or reading the SUN,Daily Mail,Daily Express and their cohorts do proper investigative work by consulting with the indigenes or contacting the high commission.Port Harcourt is the capital of Rivers state just one of the 30+ or so states in Nigeria how trivial is this? say for instance the USA if there is trouble in Maryland what has that got do to with Atlanta try to think objectively my people.

@BlessingFromGod
@Rockette
Try going through some parts of London how many murders so far?Now not lets mention Detroit,Compton,Philly .Have you ever been to Lagos if you show off and be acting all snobbish looking down at people they would show you they not that stupid.
@Think
You made some good points but you make it sound like people are under a state of constant fear even in palestine people still move around and have fun .
As i mentioned you just need to have your wits about you everywhere has its unique sense of danger but naijjs still know how to have fun and nothing can ever stop that.It was in the last 15 years that things have deteriorated but things would change i remain optimistic its a country in transition.

And which hostage from any of the kidnappings have been murdered? You need to stop regurgitating trash like an illeterate. do some reading.

Should we all pack up and leave london because of all the stabbings? Should we all pack up and leave America because of the guns and drugs?

Not condoning the kidnappings, but events that are isolated and restricted to the oil rich region of the country should not be used to judge a nation of over 150million people.

@ Mez..
Thanks for the well put answer

Firstly i'm quoting what has been said by an average mean of respectable journalists who are professional hence they would have done their research. Secondandly I suggest you stick to the primary subject and don't make personal uncivil insults at myslef. Now, people that I know quite well have have been involved in kiddnappings of whom were not from the south and I quote them "it's getting to be a bit of trend in Nigeria".

They are kidnapping rich Nigerians and foreigners. Me, a Londoner visiting my parents home state in the Delta would be seen as a rich Nigerian. There are also tribal conflicts there. The Ijaws are well known for kidnapping members of the Urhobo ethnic group and sacrificing them to their gods. I was severely warned the last time I was there not to go out late at night because one 'London born' Urhobo would probably be worth 10 village ones. Sad but true.

There is no black and white there like it is in the UK. A good few of Nigeria's 250 ethnic groups are indigenous to oil rich Delta region and they are always fighting among themselves about who owns land. I think that they need to sort out those conflicts first before they start kidnapping foreigners thinking that that is going to solve anything.