President Muhammadu Buhari has advised Nigerians to be vigilant as they go about their businesses, assuring them that security agencies are on top of the situation amid terror alerts issued by Western countries.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

We had earlier reported that the United States government issued a security advisory saying there is an elevated risk of terror attacks in Nigeria, particularly in Abuja, the capital city.

Subsequently, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia warned their citizens to stay alert. On Thursday, the US also asked citizens to leave Abuja and warned that those not in Abuja should not go to Abuja.

Reacting to the warning, President Buhari through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu urged Nigerians not to panic but to remain vigilant.

The president in a statement issued on Friday advised citizens to avoid panic.

Buhari said, “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.

“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.”

“While noting, in addition that security threats are real and have been with us for a long while, the nation’s military, the police and other security agencies have shown a capability to deal with it, as is evident from the fact that a majority of our partners, including 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 statement said.

The President stressed that while being security conscious, “being alert and careful is crucial, it is also important that responsible members of the society do not create situations leading to unnecessary panic”.

President Buhari commended the military and other security agencies for the recent turnaround in the nation’s security and directed that additional precautionary measures should be put in place.

According to him, “these must not slacken now, and during the upcoming festive period”.