US closes Lagos visa section, issues guidelines for citizens

The Embassy of the United States of America has announced the closure of its visa section of its Lagos Office.
The announcement of the closure was contained in a notice on its website.
The notice, released on March 11, 2020, said the closure of the Consular Section was temporary.
It however, did not give any reason for the closure, simply saying it was beyond its control.
It promised to contact visa applicants on the rescheduling of their appointments.
The Embassy then went ahead to give its citizens options in assessing its services.
The Notice, titled: “Routine Message for U.S. Citizens: Update on the Temporary Closure of U.S. Consulate General’s Lagos Consular Section,” reads in full: “Due to reasons beyond our control we are temporarily unable to provide regular services for visas and American Citizen Services in Lagos, but other offices within the Consulate General remain open. Please note that consular functions at the U.S. Embassy Abuja are not affected and will continue.
“Until further notice, applicants are encouraged to contact the Consular Office in Abuja for immediate emergency travel. Applicants with emergency travel must provide a travel itinerary. Please monitor the Facebook and Webpage of the U.S. Embassy for updates on consular operations. Scheduled visa and ACS applicants for Lagos will be contacted for rescheduling.
“American citizens in southern Nigeria with urgent travel needs who are to re-schedule their travel through Abuja should contact the ACS office at Embassy Abuja (09) 461-4000 and AbujaACS@state.gov) to discuss their options. Those travelling after March 13, 2020 should follow-up with LagosACS@state.gov to confirm their appointments closer to their appointment date.
“American citizens in southern Nigeria with emergency services needs should continue to contact the after-hours emergency number for Lagos at 01 460-3400 and press “0” to go to the operator to request assistance.
“We regret the inconvenience this has caused to our applicants in Lagos and hope to resume operations next week. Please monitor the Facebook and Webpage of the U.S. Embassy for the next status update of consular operations in Lagos.”