The United States on Thursday ordered the departure of non-essential diplomatic personnel and their families from Abuja, the Nigerian capital, due to “increased risk of terrorist attacks,” according to a State Department statement. On Tuesday, Washington had already authorized these people to leave the city if they so wished.
Several Western embassies, including the United States, have also recently recommended that their citizens limit their movements in the country.
Insecurity on the rise
Residents in and around Abuja, including Western diplomats, are increasingly concerned about insecurity following a mass breakout in July from Kuje prison in suburban Abuja.
More than 400 detainees then escaped, including dozens of suspected jihadists. The police and army had announced that they had tightened security measures in and around the capital, but Abuja is surrounded by mountainous and forested areas that are difficult to protect.
After multiple Western warnings, the Nigerian authorities had assured that “all necessary precautions had been taken.”
The jihadists generally attack in the northeastern regions of Nigeria, far from the federal capital, but Islamist cells exist in other regions of the country.
Source: BFM TV
