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Claim: A Facebook user asserts that the US Embassy has announced the closure of its offices in Abuja and Lagos due to security concerns.
Verdict: False! Credible news organisations reported the closure was due to public holidays, not security issues.
Full Text
Insecurity in Nigeria continues to impact daily life, diplomacy, and international relations. From terrorism and banditry to widespread kidnappings and violent crime, the country’s security challenges remain a significant concern.
In the last couple of years, these security issues have disrupted citizens’ lives and caught the attention of foreign governments and organisations.
Recently, a Facebook user, Emmanuel Uche, noted that the United States (US) Embassy announced the closure of its offices in Abuja and Lagos due to security issues in Nigeria.
“The US Embassy has announced the closure of its branches in Abuja and Lagos due to a security alert. The security issue in Nigeria is getting out of hand. Tinubu, wake up, don’t be another Jonathan,” the user wrote.
Other social media users, such as Chibuike Okenyi, Our Naija Gist, Pascha journalist, and Willy Vibez, also posted about this closure.
In one of the pages, Imran Imran wrote, “That is a good development, who America help.”
Another user, Regis Obo, unsure of the news, replied, “Are you sure this is right?”
The conflicting responses and the parties involved made DUBAWA verify this claim.
Verification
We first observed that the screenshot shared by the claimant was from Gistreel.com, so we visited Gistreel’s website. We went through the story and found that it was clickbait. While their headline announced the embassy closure on their Facebook page, the link attached to the post provided further explanation of the closure.
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search to ascertain if reputable media organisations reported on the issue. Our search yielded no related news.
PM News Nigeria reported that the US Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos would be closed on July 4, 2025, in observance of US Independence Day, not a closure.
The US Independence Day commemorates the country’s declaration of independence from British rule in 1776. It is a significant national holiday celebrated with patriotic events, fireworks, and public gatherings across the nation.
We also visited the embassy’s social media. We saw that they had posted on their X page that the Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2025, in observance of Independence Day.
We also saw that the Nigerian government did not report the embassy’s closure.
Conclusion
The post that the US Embassy has announced the closure of its offices in Abuja and Lagos due to a security alert is false. The Embassy announced a public holiday closure, not a closure.
