Abuja – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday held an emergency meeting with security chiefs, who played down any increased threats after the US embassy warned of potential attacks on the capital.
Following the Abuja meeting, the presidency said Buhari was flying to London on Monday for regular medical checkups, the latest overseas medical trip for the 79-year-old former army chief.
The US embassy has warned of a heightened risk of “terrorist attacks,” prompting the evacuation of some diplomatic families and similar advisories from the UK, Canada and other missions.
National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno on Monday dismissed any “illusion” about heightened insecurity after the meeting with Buhari.
Nigeria dismisses security risk after embassy warnings https://t.co/TSgscY3oQX
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) October 31, 2022
“It is false, it is irresponsible for anybody to give that signal,” he told reporters.
“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.”
Nigeria’s overstretched military is battling jihadists, criminal gangs and separatist groups in different regions of Africa’s most populous country.
Islamic State West Africa Province or ISWAP and Boko Haram are mostly active in the country’s far northeast, but jihadists have recently claimed attacks in other areas and closer to the capital Abuja.
In July, ISWAP claimed a brazen attack on Kuje prison just 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Nigerian capital, freeing hundreds of prisoners including suspected militants.
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Nigerian police say they have increased security since the US warning, but Buhari last week urged calm and said there was no threat of an imminent attack on Abuja.
The Nigerian leader leaves for London on Monday for a routine medical check-up and returns in the second week of November, his special media advisor Femi Adesina said in a statement.
Buhari, who has made repeated trips overseas for checkups and treatment for an undisclosed ailment, steps down next year after two terms in office.
Security will be a major theme in the February 2023 election to replace the former military commander who was first elected in 2015 largely on his promise to defeat jihadists and armed groups.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@MBuhari
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