FG: US, UK raised false, irresponsible terror alerts in Nigeria

The Federal Government has frowned at the travel advisories issued by some embassies to their officials in Nigeria.

The Federal Government said the travel advisories recently issued by the United States and the United Kingdom were false and irresponsible.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (Retd), said this while speaking to State House correspondents after an emergency security meeting summoned by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Monday.

Monguno, who addressed journalists alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, said the terror alerts were needless, adding that the hype and the sense of insecurity the alerts created were unfounded.

The NSA, however, urged Nigerians and other residents to go about their businesses without fear, saying: “Security and intelligence agencies are not resting on their oars to ensure that all Nigerians and every part of the country remains safe.

“From the time this alarming story came out until now, about a week to 10 days, we can see that so far, the situation has been brought under control.

“The issue of Nigerians being made to panic is unnecessary, the situation in various areas, the Federal Capital Territory, the situation has been brought under control.

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“We are trying as much as possible to work with our neighbours and within the domestic situation to work with our foreign partners in a responsible way without giving the impression that Nigeria is setting on thin ice to explore.

“That has come to dispel any illusion about any sense of heightened insecurity.

“It is false, it is irresponsible for anybody to give that signal. We are working with our foreign partners in a responsible way and Nigerians should go back to their normal daily undertakings without being put in a situation of fear,” Monguno stated.

Also speaking, Onyeama called on Nigerians to ignore the security threat and travel advisory issued by the US and UK, and continue with their daily routines.

Onyeama stressed that the threat and advisory were mainly issued to the citizens of the countries that originated them.

The minister added that it has been the norm for the United States to make such pronouncements to its citizens, as dictated by its constitution just as the country simultaneously did in South Africa.

“Nigeria has been engaging the United States on intelligent sharing; it’s been the norm for US to make such pronouncement.

“We engage the US from this, and their response was that they are obliged to put out those kinds of statements, normally travel advisories.

“But in this case, it was an alert, but they said that they were obliged to, for their citizens, and that the advice, you know, the alert was really, for their citizens.

“They do it around the world, as you know, they did it also in South Africa, in this particular case,” he said.

Also allaying the fears of Nigerians occasioned by the terror alert, the Chief of Defence Staff, said security agencies had been on their toes to thwart all threats.

The Star