The State Security Service (SSS) on Thursday dismissed the statement by the United States Embassy in Nigeria warning American citizens of an impending attack by the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram on major hotels and areas visited by Westerners in Abuja.
The spokesperson for the SSS, Marilyn Ogar told Channels television in Abuja that no such threat exists but even if there were such threats, the security agencies are prepared for such challenges.
“No intelligence has been received to that effect,” she said regarding the US embassy warning on an eminent Boko Haram attack in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
She said the Nigerian government is not against any mission warning or alerting its citizens of eminent dangers.
“But we are against the fact that you go to the open media where Nigerians are told that there is impending danger. If there is an impending danger, it should come from the Nigeria nation itself, not from a foreign mission,” Mrs Ogar said.
Reacting to question on the inconveniences and panic caused by the stop and search road blocks in almost all parts of Abuja, the SSS spokesperson said that the types of attacks in the country are alien to the security agencies and so they have to try new method of combating it.
“We are dealing with a new trend, a trend that just crept in suddenly and then overwhelmed us. And so whatever measure we put in place, we implore Nigerians to bear a little with us.
“No government will go on the street in order to impose unnecessary hardship on its own people,” she said.
Mrs Ogar called on Nigerians to be more vigilant and not allow these supposed threats to make them live in fear.
Nigerians have hardly recovered from the Easter day bombings and bloodshed in Kaduna and Jos, Plateau state when on Wednesday the United States embassy issued a warning to its citizens living in Nigeria of an imminent attack by the dreaded Boko Haram sect.
The US authorities issued a similar warning in November, naming the Hilton, Sheraton and Nicon luxury as Abuja hotels that could be targets by the militant sect members.
This time, the embassy did not name specific targets.
The minister of information , Labaran Maku at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday said there was nothing new in the US warning, noting that it is similar to the one issued about a year ago.
Meanwhile, the managements of major hotels in Abuja have expressed confidence in their security arrangements.
Our correspondent noticed that some guests of these hotels appeared not to be bothered about the latest warning.
