ULANG, SUDAN- SEPTEMBER 7: Rebel Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) fighters investigate an abandoned village looted and burned by government supported Janjaweed militiamen near their base in the Darfur region of Sudan, September 7, 2004. in Ulang, Sudan. . Both rebel groups, the JEM, and the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) continue to abide by a current ceasefire and are participating in talks with the Sudanese government in neighboring Nigeria, but are growing increasingly frustrated by the government's failure to reign in the janjaweed militia and warn of impending military action if the violence in the region does not end soon.(Photo by Scott Nelson/Getty Images)
Terror! US, UK warn of looming attack in Abuja
Sopuruchi Onwuka
The embassy of the United States of America and the British High Commission in Nigeria have warned of potential terrorist attacks on diplomatic, public and private targets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The two countries reputed for their unmistakable security intelligence issued an alert Sunday evening, warning the public of possible terrorist attack on government buildings, places of worship, schools and other strategic targets.
The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said “there is an elevated risk of terror attacks in Nigeria, specifically Abuja” and added that shopping malls, law enforcement facilities and international organizations were among places at risk.
“The U.S. Embassy will offer reduced services until further notice,” the embassy said in an alert to citizens in Nigeria.
The United Kingdom government warned that its citizens in Nigeria should stay alert due to an “increased threat of terrorist attack in Abuja.”
“Attacks could be indiscriminate and could affect western interests, as well as places visited by tourists,” it said.
Insecurity, which has spread across Nigeria, is a major issue for voters when they go to the polls next February to elect a new president to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
Efforts to get official response to the security alerts were not successful.
