President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday reacted to the gale of terror alerts and travel advisories recently issued by the embassies of Western nations in the country.
Buhari, while attempting to downplay the threats themselves, advised the nation’s security establishment and citizens to continue being vigilant and careful with security, saying it is important to avoid panic.
The President urged citizens to remain calm as he said: “The recent changes in travel advice from the US and UK governments should not be a cause for panic.”
The New Diplomat had earlier reported that United States on Thursday re-echoed the threat of a possible terror attack on Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, asking its citizens to immediately leave. Recall the U.S had first raised the alarm on Sunday, issuing travel advisories to Americans currently in Nigeria, including its consulate staff in Abuja.
The number of Western countries raising similar concerns has since risen to at least nine, with UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Germany and even India joining the call by the U.S.
But Buhari, who returned from Seoul, South Korea, Friday, insists “Nigeria is no exception in having terror threats listed in foreign government’s travel advice to their citizens. UK and US travel advisories also state there is a high likelihood of terror attacks in many Western European nations. Indeed, the UK and US advice to their respective citizens for travel to one another’s countries contain the same warning. Unfortunately, terror is a reality the world over.
“However, it does not mean an attack in Abuja is imminent. Since the July prison raid, security measures have been reinforced in and around the FCT. Heightened monitoring and interception of terrorist communications ensure potential threats are caught further upstream,” the President said in statement issued on Friday by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity.
The statement added that Security agents are proactively rooting out threats to keep citizens safe “much of their work unseen and necessarily confidential.
“Nigerians’ safety remains the highest priority of government. Security services are working around the clock to keep harm at bay.
“The President gives assurances that the government is on top of the security situation in country.
“While noting, in addition that security threats are real and have been with us for a long while, the nation’s military, the police and other security agencies have shown a capability to deal with it, as is evident from the fact that a majority of our partners, including the United Nations agencies in our midst have not seen the threat as being sufficient to warrant any form of panic or order citizen evacuations.
“The President stresses that that while being security conscious, being alert and careful is crucial, it is also important that responsible members of the society do not create situations leading to unnecessary panic.
“President Buhari commends the military and other security agencies for the recent turn around in the nation’s security, and directs that additional precautionary measures be put in place and that these must not slacken now, and during the upcoming festive period.
“President Buhari expresses optimism that given the on-going efforts on the part of the military and other security and intelligence agencies with the active support of the civilian population, the nation will emerge victorious against the current challenges facing it.”
