Ngozi James
President Muhammadu has advised the nation’s security establishment and entire citizens to continue being vigilant and careful with security, saying it is important to avoid panic.
Buhari urged citizens to remain calm, adding that the recent changes in travel advice from the US and UK governments should not be a cause for panic.
“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,” Buharinsaid kn a statement on Friday signed by his spokesperson, Garva Shehu.
“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.
“Attacks are being foiled. 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,” Buhari said.
The President further assured that the government is on top of the security situation in country.
He expressed confidence that the military, the police and other security agencies have shown a capability to deal with it, while noting that 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 stressed that that while being security conscious, being alert and careful is crucial. He said it was also important that responsible members of the society do not create situations leading to unnecessary panic.
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.