The US State Department on Tuesday authorised the departure of non-emergency US government employees and their families from Nigeria due to a heightened risk of terrorist attacks in the country, Reuters reports.
The latest travel update comes after the United States and the United Kingdom warned on Sunday of a possible terrorist attack in the capital Abuja, especially aimed at government buildings, places of worship and schools, among other targets.
“The US Embassy Abuja continues to have limited ability to provide emergency assistance to US citizens in Nigeria,” the State Department said.
Nigeria’s Department of State Services said the United States had previously issued similar warnings and urged citizens to remain alert.
Insecurity, which is rife across most northern states, is a major issue among voters who will choose a new president next February.
Reacting to the security alert, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Tuesday expressed strong disapproval of the unverified security alert issued by the US and UK embassies.
“Some media outlets and social media personalities are usually caught spreading unverified information on their platforms just for click bait and the attendant monetary gain,” Mohammed said.
“Talking of click bait, this may be what informed the spread of the supposed security alert issued recently by some foreign embassies in Nigeria.
“One would imagine that if indeed this kind of security alert was issued, it was for the attention of citizens of the issuing countries in Nigeria,” he added.
