At the daily media briefing of the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C., Nigeria was on the front burner last week with Victoria Nuland, spokes person saying that Boko Haram is trying to rip the country apart.
Answering reporters’ questions on the occurrences in the country, the Department of State spokes person said that the nationwide crisis on fuel price hike is “adding another layer to the difficulties in Nigeria.” Commenting on the activities of Boko Haram which has gotten more intensive recently and targeted at Christians, Nuland pointed out that, the United States is concerned that what Boko Haram is doing would exacerbate existing tensions between Christians and Moslems in the country.
Said her, “Extremist groups, like Boko Haram, are trying to play on some of the tensions inside Nigeria – some of the unsatisfied grievances in the north – and use those as excuses for this kind of violence.” While strongly condemning  the continuing acts of violence which have been credited to Boko Haram, she  expressed  condolences to the families of the victims and  urged  Nigerian authorities to hold accountable those who are responsible for these attacks, while protecting innocent civilians in the in – as they pursue their law enforcement activities.
On the reaction of the Nigerian Presidency, the Department of State spokes person urged President Goodluck Jonathan to continue to work hard to resolve the crisis, noting however that, in the context of the nationwide strikes on the fuel situation, the United States is of the view that  the Nigerian people have the right to a peaceful protest.
According to her, “We want to see them protest peacefully, and we’re also urging the Nigerian security services to respect the right of popular protest and conduct themselves professionally in dealing with the strikes.” Meanwhile, the United States over the weekend, issued  travel warning on Nigeria, warning  its citizens  of the risks of traveling to Nigeria.
In the travel warning statement, made available to BusinessWorld, it  continues to recommend U.S. citizens to avoid all but essential travel to the Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers; the Southeastern states of Abia, Edo, Imo;  as well as the city of Jos in Plateau State, Bauchi and Borno States in the northeast; and the Gulf of Guinea because of the risks of kidnapping, robbery, and other armed attacks in these areas.  According to the statement, violent crime committed by individuals and gangs, as well as by persons wearing police and military uniforms, remains a problem throughout the country. 
The recent travel warning, issued last weekend replaces the Travel Warning for Nigeria dated October 13, 2011, to provide information concerning a national strike to protest the government’s elimination of a gasoline subsidy, to update information on recent violent activity, and to inform U.S. citizens of the December 31, 2011 declaration by the President of Nigeria of a State of Emergency.
The statement added that while airports in Lagos and Abuja are open, most international carriers cancelled their flights January 9, and may continue to do so with little notice.   Describing the  situation as fluid and dynamic.  U.S. citizens are advised to follow the local media for up-to-date reports and contact airline carriers for flight information. On January 6, gunmen reportedly killed 12 worshipers at a church in Jimeta-Yola, Adamawa State.  Gunmen also attacked gatherings in Gombe, Gombe State and Mubi, Adamawa on January 5, reportedly killing 28 people.  An explosive device was thrown into an Arabic-Koranic school in Sapele, Delta State on December 28, injuring seven people.  An extremist group known as Boko Haram took credit for church attacks on December 25, 2011, in Niger, Plateau, and Yobe States that killed dozens.  On August 26, 2011, a suicide bombing at the UN Headquarters in Abuja killed 25 people and wounded more than 80 other individuals.
 This attack was the first against an international organization and the fourth bombing in Abuja during the past year.  It followed a similar bombing against the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters ten weeks earlier that killed five individuals on June 16.   These bombings were in addition to bombings elsewhere in Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, and Plateau States throughout  last year.