The
United States has warned of possible attacks on expatriates and foreigners in
Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, during the public holidays marking the
Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
“The
US Mission in Nigeria alerted that groups associated with terrorist activity
might be planning attacks on hotels in Lagos frequented by international
visitors, including those located on waterfronts, during the Eid-el-Fitr holidays,”
it said yesterday.
Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday are public holidays in Nigeria and the traditional end
of a month of fasting and prayer is marked by celebrations across the country.
The
US warning, posted on its embassy’s website, according to AFP, is unusually
specific but not the first about possible attacks on locations frequented by
expatriates.
A
similar security warning was given in December last year, while in May 2014,
diplomats warned of a possible attack on two Sheraton hotels in Lagos, after a
car bombing in the capital, Abuja, killed 19 just days before a major economic
summit.
Similar warnings were given in April 2012 and November 2011 about hotels popular with Westerners in Abuja.
Lagos,
a melting pot megacity of some 20 million people, has been spared the worst
excesses of violence by the Islamist group Boko Haram, whose seven-year
insurgency has destroyed Nigeria’s northeast.
But
the South-western coastal city has been hit before. On June 25, 2014,
explosions ripped through the port area near a major fuel depot.
The
authorities blamed the blast on a cooking gas cylinder which exploded but
eyewitnesses and Western diplomats said it was a car bomb that killed at least
four people. Boko Haram’s shadowy leader, Abubakar Shekau, later claimed
responsibility.
The
US embassy’s latest warning did not mention a specific group but urged its
citizens to “review your personal security plans, remain aware of your
surroundings, including local events, and monitor local news stations for
updates.”
But
the Lagos States Police Command yesterday assured the public that adequate and
necessary security measures had been put in place during and after the Eid
el-Fitr celebrations.
The command in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, assured Muslim faithful and the public of their safety.
She
said the command had put in place appropriate operational strategies to ensure
a hitch-free Eid-el-Fitri celebrations at all praying grounds, recreational
centres, hotels and all other public places.
She
however implored the public to cooperate with the Police as they go about their
lawful duties, adding that in the eventuality of any emergency, the following
Rapid Response hotlines can be contacted:
08127155071, 08127155150, 08029950048, 767 or 112.
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