The United States embassy in Nigeria on Thursday warned Americans
about the threat of attacks by extremist groups following the violence in Libya
and Egypt, urging extra caution.
The “emergency message” issued to Americans living in Africa’s
most populous country came after militants attacked the U.S consulate in
Benghazi, killing the country’s ambassador and three other Americans, hours
after a mob attacked the U.S embassy in Cairo, AFP news agency reports.
“Extremists may attempt to target U.S citizens and other
Westerners in Nigeria,” the embassy said in a statement.
It noted that radical groups in Nigeria have killed hundreds in
recent months in attacks on a range of targets.
“The situation in Nigeria remains fluid and unpredictable,” the
statement said, urging Americans “to consider their personal security.”
On Wednesday, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar,
ordered “24-hour water-tight security” at all foreign embassies.
The attacks in Cairo and Benghazi were initially believed to have
been perpetrated by mobs outraged over an amateur Internet film made in America
that insulted Islam but U.S officials later said the Benghazi attack might have
been planned.
Religiously-linked violence has killed thousands of Nigerians in
recent years. Radical Islamist group Boko Haram is blamed for more than 1,400
deaths since 2010, while sectarian clashes between Muslim and Christian
communities have killed thousands more.
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