Close protection across Africa, Nigeria first

Why does Africa need a different model of protection?

Africa is not one place. It is 54 countries, with different laws, languages, roads and risks. A plan that works in Johannesburg can be wrong in Lagos, and a plan that works in Lagos can be wrong in Nairobi. It is easy to know one country well and guess at the rest. Guessing is where clients get hurt.

Our model is simple. We start from home ground in Nigeria, where we know the airports, the traffic and the law on armed cover in detail. We have our own teams in Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Where we do not have our own people, we work only with licensed local partners, briefed and led to our standard, under one plan and one team lead.

The company is led by Ricky, a former British Paratrooper with more than twenty years in close protection. He has protected executives, families, artists and public figures across Africa and Europe, trained and led new protection teams on the ground in South Africa, and spent weeks at a time on armed maritime security in the Indian Ocean. That shows in how we plan: on paper first, then on the ground.

In practice, most African trips have three hard parts: arriving, moving between places and leaving. Hotels and meeting rooms are rarely where things go wrong. Airports, roads and timing are. So that is where we put most of our planning.

Close protection in Nigeria: where we start

Nigeria is where our work starts and where we spend most of our time. Most of it is in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, with planned trips into other states for business, weddings and family visits. Our page on close protection in Nigeria sets out the full service.

Each city asks for something different. Lagos is about traffic, airport arrivals and the December season. Abuja is about government meetings, embassies and the long drive in from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Port Harcourt is about the oil and gas industry and careful road moves, under strict UK travel advice for Rivers State.

Nigeria also shows why local law matters. Private security firms there may not bear arms, and since November 2025 police officers have been withdrawn from VIP escort duty, with VIPs told to request armed protection from the NSCDC instead. Our guide to armed escorts in Nigeria explains what that means for you.

Close protection in NigeriaClose protection in LagosClose protection in AbujaClose protection in Port HarcourtAirport pickup in Lagos and AbujaCelebrity and artist security in Nigeria

Close protection in West Africa

After Nigeria, West Africa is the region we know best. Accra, Abidjan and Dakar are the main business cities, and many clients move between them and Lagos in the same week. Flights along the coast are short, but schedules change, and one delay can push an arrival into the night. We plan for that.

The region mixes English, French and Portuguese, and with them different police, legal and business cultures. Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia work in English. Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Togo, Benin and Guinea work largely in French. Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde work in Portuguese. Your team lead briefs you on what changes at each border, from how to deal with officials to which documents to keep on you.

Inland, the Sahel is a different picture. The UK Foreign Office advises against all or most travel to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. If your work takes you to Bamako, Ouagadougou or Niamey, we will tell you plainly what that advice means, help you decide whether to go and, if you do, keep the trip short, planned and quiet.

Close protection in AccraClose protection in AbidjanClose protection in DakarClose protection in LoméClose protection in CotonouClose protection in ConakryClose protection in FreetownClose protection in MonroviaClose protection in BanjulClose protection in BissauClose protection in PraiaClose protection in NouakchottClose protection in OuagadougouClose protection in BamakoClose protection in Niamey

Close protection in Central Africa

Central Africa is where good logistics matter most. Douala is Cameroon's main port and business city. Kinshasa is one of the largest cities on the continent. Libreville, Malabo and Brazzaville see a lot of oil, mining and government work. Road links between capitals can be poor and flights can be few, so a missed connection may cost you a day, not an hour.

The language changes again: mostly French, with Spanish in Equatorial Guinea and Portuguese in São Tomé and Príncipe. We plan who speaks for you at the airport, on the road and at the hotel, and we keep a trusted local partner close to the team where it helps.

Bangui and N'Djamena carry higher risk and need careful planning against current travel advice. As in the Sahel, we will tell you honestly if a trip should wait, and plan it properly if it cannot.

Close protection in DoualaClose protection in LibrevilleClose protection in MalaboClose protection in BrazzavilleClose protection in KinshasaClose protection in São ToméClose protection in BanguiClose protection in N'Djamena

Close protection in East Africa and the Horn

Nairobi is a main business and travel hub for East Africa, with many regional offices and international organisations. Addis Ababa is home to the African Union and one of the continent's busiest airline hubs. Kampala is where one of our own teams is based, which makes Uganda one of the places we can move fastest.

The region has its own rhythm. Business in Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali and Dar es Salaam often comes with time on the coast in Mombasa or Zanzibar, or at lodges far from any city. That means long road moves, small airstrips and places where help is hours away. We plan medical cover and the way out with that distance in mind.

The Horn and the Sudans are among the hardest places on the continent to work. The UK Foreign Office advises against all or most travel to Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia. Work in Khartoum, Juba or Mogadishu is only for clients with a clear reason to be there. It is planned with partners who know the ground, and the advice is checked again before every move.

Close protection in NairobiClose protection in MombasaClose protection in KampalaClose protection in KigaliClose protection in BujumburaClose protection in Dar es SalaamClose protection in ZanzibarClose protection in Addis AbabaClose protection in Djibouti CityClose protection in AsmaraClose protection in JubaClose protection in KhartoumClose protection in Mogadishu

Close protection in Southern Africa

South Africa is our other main base on the continent. Johannesburg is the business centre of the region, Cape Town draws executives, families and visitors from all over the world, and Durban is a major port. Ricky has trained and led protection teams on the ground in South Africa, and we have our own team there today.

In South African cities, the main risks are crime on the road and around arrivals. The UK Foreign Office has warned that people have been followed from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to their destinations and robbed. A planned pickup, a trained driver and an arrival where the gate is checked before the car stops deal with most of that.

Beyond South Africa, Luanda, Lusaka, Harare, Maputo, Windhoek and Gaborone see steady mining, energy and government work, and Maseru and Mbabane are often short trips from South Africa. Many of these trips work best as one plan, with one team crossing the region or a clean handover at the border.

Close protection in JohannesburgClose protection in Cape TownClose protection in DurbanClose protection in LuandaClose protection in LusakaClose protection in LilongweClose protection in HarareClose protection in MaputoClose protection in WindhoekClose protection in GaboroneClose protection in MaseruClose protection in Mbabane

Close protection on the Indian Ocean islands

Mauritius and the Seychelles are where many clients go to rest, often with family, in private villas, island resorts and on yachts. Street risk is often lower than in the big mainland cities, and the job changes with it. It is less about roads and more about privacy: who knows you are there, who can reach the villa from the water and how fast you could get to a good hospital or off the island.

Ricky has spent weeks at a time on armed maritime security in the Indian Ocean, so the team understands life on the water. For villa and yacht work we coordinate with captains, crew and resort security, and our yacht and aviation security service covers the rest. Antananarivo in Madagascar and Moroni in the Comoros are different again, with fewer international flights and services, so we plan arrivals and medical options with extra care.

Close protection in MauritiusClose protection in the SeychellesClose protection in AntananarivoClose protection in Moroni

Close protection in North Africa

North Africa links the continent to Europe and the Gulf. Cairo is one of the largest cities in Africa and a major centre for business and government. Casablanca is Morocco's business capital, and Marrakech hosts a steady flow of weddings, private events and well-known visitors. Tunis and Algiers see diplomatic, energy and business travel.

Arabic and French are the working languages across most of the region, and local rules on photography, drones and security equipment can be strict. We brief you on what to leave at home before you fly, so nothing is held at the airport.

Libya is a special case. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to most of the country. Any work in Tripoli needs trusted partners on the ground, a good reason to be there and a plan that is checked again on the day.

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How do we move you across borders?

Crossing Africa is often harder than crossing Europe. Many city pairs have no direct flight, a lot of routes connect through hubs such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Johannesburg or Casablanca, and a delay at the hub moves everything after it. We plan for the trip you will really have, not the one on the timetable.

• Flights: we track every leg, plan the wait at connecting airports and have a team meet you at each arrival, not just the first.
• Road moves: we check the route, fuel and rest stops, phone coverage, border opening hours and the time you need to arrive before dark.
• Handover between teams: when one team hands you to another at a border or an airport, the new team lead has the same plan and has spoken to the outgoing lead before you arrive. Your main contact stays the same from start to finish.
• Documents: passports with plenty of validity and blank pages, visas or e-visas, invitation letters where needed, and proof of yellow fever vaccination, which many African countries ask for. Keep copies apart from the originals.
• Cars: vehicles rarely cross borders easily. Where they cannot, a checked car and driver wait on the other side.
• Medical: we know the nearest good hospital in each place and how to reach it, and we plan how you would be flown out from remote legs.

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Can your protection team be armed in Africa?

It depends on the country, and the honest answer starts with the law. Rules on private security and firearms differ across Africa. In many countries, Nigeria among them, private security firms may not carry arms, and armed cover, where the law allows it at all, comes from the police or other state services. Some countries license armed private security under strict rules. These rules change, and they are enforced.

We plan within each country's law, every time. Before a job we check the current position for each place on your route and tell you what is realistic. Where armed cover is needed and lawful, it comes from the right source, and our team plans and leads the movement around it. Where it is not available, we build a plan that works without it.

Your own protection officers cannot simply bring weapons across borders. If your team travels with you, we brief them on local law, including on firearms, before they land. Armed cover is one layer of a plan, never the whole plan. A normal-looking car, good timing and a team that sees trouble early keep most clients out of harm's way.

Armed escorts in Nigeria: what the law allows

What does a typical engagement look like?

No two jobs are the same, but most follow the same shape. Here is how a trip might run for an executive who flies into Lagos for two days of meetings, goes on to Accra for a site visit, then to Nairobi for a board meeting before flying home.

The team follows the risk. Some clients need one protection officer and a driver, others a full team, a second car and advance checks in every city. We do not publish one price, because no two jobs are alike, but every quote explains each line and why it is there.

• Before travel: we sign the NDA, agree the plan, check every airport, hotel and venue, and send you the name and photo of each team lead.
• Lagos: a checked team at arrivals, a trained driver, routes planned by time of day and a protection officer with you between meetings.
• Accra: a team briefed by your Lagos lead, and a site visit planned with your host and timed to finish well before dark.
• Nairobi: a fresh team on the same plan, the same main contact, and a departure timed around the traffic.
• Afterwards: a short review of what worked and what could be sharper, so your next trip starts better than this one ended.

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How do I book close protection in Africa?

Message us on WhatsApp at +34 632 613 535 or email contact@theblackwolf.group. Tell us the countries, the dates and roughly how many people need protection. Share only what you are comfortable with at first.

We sign your NDA before we discuss details. Then a senior coordinator, not a sales desk, comes back to you with a clear plan. We can deploy to most destinations within 24 hours, but for trips across several countries, more notice lets us check every leg properly.

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Start with Nigeria

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