Q: Armed guard esscort in Nigeria?

[Xander]

A bit of advice and a heads up to see if anyone is interested.
We are currently in Mali, but will be heading though Nigeria in about 5-6 weeks. We have heard that you need to have an armed gaurd with you to pass though- This was from qn other traveler as well qs the Aus Gov.

So the Questions are:
IS this true?
If So does any one know the costs?
and is there anyone going to be in the area qround then that would be interested in forming a convoy to split the costs?

Finnally is there any other options like shipping around it from say Ghana?

Cheers all
Xander and Mrs.X

Two up on an Africa Twin - if this effects your willing ness to join up:

p.s. sorry for the x-posting

[Ride Far]

Did your information maybe apply to a particular section of Nigeria?

We rode a southerly route thru Nigeria in December 08 ... no armed guard was required or even mentioned.

[edteamslr]

Would be interesting to know where this might apply. Convoys and armed guards might actually draw more attention to yourselves. We came in from the North, stayed clear of the south, and had no problems. Friends went in from the west and had more hassle but still no real problems.

[baboon_hai]

Hey there,

we crossed Nigeria (Niki-Wa-Abuja-Ekok) in February. No Problem, lots of Police-checks, but they just want to know how your trip goes. That might change as soon as it gets dark...we've been advised NOT to drive at night and tried to keep to it.

On advise, fill up on Fuel before entering Nigeria - it might be cheaper there, but outside bigger cities it's hard to find a petrol station that actually has anything to sell! Also is it worth to exchange enogh money at the boarder. At the Niki border this has to be done in Niki (Benin) before crossing. We exchanged just a little amount and until Abuja NOBODY (No bank, no forex bureau would exchange any US $....which is bad if your starting to run low on petrol and it's getting dark.

Anyway, don't worry too much about Nigeria, but just take the usual care and NEVER drive at night!

Cheers,
robin

[Xander]

Hi, thanks for the responses, and we've been reading with interest the respondees' relevant blogs! Sounds terrifying on the roads....

The warnings relate to the southern areas including Cross River area where the border crossing to Mamfe is, which is why we were concerned. Sounds like a few people have been through without concern though. We will keep pondering what to do!

Cheers, Xander and Mrs X

[inyang]

Hello,
Just in case you have not passed through yet.
You do not need an armed escort to ride/drive through.

In the south there are lots of police check points but you should be able to just ride through like 90% or more of them.

My SOP for checkpoints is;
Slow down when approaching one
Wave at guards
Slowly ride past (squeeze through cars if possible)
Wave more
Slowly increase speed and look at the police in your rearview mirror

Repeat as necessary

When you approach a checkpoint alone (or in front of cars) you may get stopped.

Then, stop, greet the policeman when he approaches.
DO not switch off your engine
You may just be asked to go on
If the police does not say anything, wave at him, and move on (slowly)
Stop if you are asked to stop.

I do Port Harcourt - Lagos (600km) about 3 times a month and have to ride through so many checkpoints.

Hope this helps.

btw, there are very few checkpoints at night, your major problem traveling at night will be the pothole that will terminate your journey when you drop in. I returned to Port Harcourt in November and did the last 3 hours in darkness, the road was clear of traffic and had fewer police checkpoints.
I would not advise traveling after 7 pm because of road conditions mostly. Most robbery on the roads is usually between 6 - 9pm