Hello,
I live in Nigeria and been following post by travelers on the board here and also find the board useful for trip planning.

I have done a loop from Nigeria (Port Harcourt) to Cameroon - Gabon and back. Also done Nigeria-Niger-Burkina Faso- Ghana-Togo-Benin several times.

In country, I either fly or go by bike and have put above 90,000 km on my '05 GS before the odometer got annoyed and now only shows 9999s...

Ok, intro over.

I read about people taking or planning detours to avoid riding/driving through Nigeria and a couple of other comments.

First of all, yes, Nigeria is dangerous, and entering Nigeria can be a shock. Immediately past the border, things are a little ramped up. More people, most in a hurry, more aggressive officials, more of everything, but you can still pass through with no delay.


Crime:
Most crime is directed at new cars and SUVs, type of vehicles used by a typical overlander is not a likely target. Your major problem will be running into a robbery operation along the highway.

Police:
Especially in the southern part of Nigeria, there are a million and one checkpoints along the roads, bikes usually pass through with minimal stops. If you are stopped, stay by the person that stopped you, say good afternoon or whatever and wait for them to speak or ask questions.

My experience is that most stops are just to look at your bike. You may be asked for your papers on rare occasions, just show your vehicle registration, insurance and driving license (photocopied and stapled together).

Your mission is to travel around and see the country, next destination is the next major town, giving money to officials is at your personal discretion, I do not.

Roads:
There is a large road network, but you need to watch out for other road users and potholes (here defined as proper holes across, along, beside the road)


Ok, got to run now, will keep adding to this over the coming days.

__________________
inyang

Port Harcourt, Nigeria