The State Department on Thursday again warned of an imminent attack by the insurgents on the nation’s capital Abuja within the next few days and as a result has ordered the families of U.S. embassy staffers in the Nigerian capital to leave and for all Americans to reconsider traveling to any part of the country and specifically not to visit Abuja at all.
The Intelligence service claimed that government buildings, places of worship, shopping malls and other public places are possible targets, while urging their citizens to avoid all non- essential movements.
The announcement came just two days after the department said it would allow nonessential personnel at the embassy in Abuja to depart voluntarily due to elevated security concerns. It did not provide details but the change suggested the U.S. has indications that an attack may be imminent.
“The department (has) ordered the departure of family members of U.S. government employees from Abuja due to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks there,” it said in a revised travel advisory for Nigeria.
Consequently, the Nigeria’s secret and intelligence police, the Department of State Services, has called for calm and has advised that “necessary precautions” are being taken to prevent such attacks
For over a decade, Nigeria has battled an Islamic insurgency in it’s northeast..
United Kingdom and Australia have equally issued similar warnings to their citizens urging them to avoid travelling to Nigeria.
It will be recalled that just before the Russian attack on Ukraine, the American Intelligence agents have warned Ukraine of possible attack by Russia, but was not heeded.
The US had equally acted in similar fashion during the Kenyan genocide when it ordered the evacuation of its citizens after alerting the people of a possible terror attack. Same fate befell the Afghanistans after the US evacuated it’s citizens, just before Afghans were overrun by the Talibans.
Therefore given the history of precision on all such alerts emanating from the US State Department over the years, it would be foolhardy and self- destructive for any nation to take lightly any such statements,