FG dismisses US security alert, says Nigeria now safer

The Federal Government has asked Nigerians to ignore the recent security alert from a foreign embassy.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in Abuja yesterday during a ministerial panel on media and information literacy frameworks, declared Nigeria safer now than before. 

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The United States Embassy in Nigeria had, in a statement on Sunday, alerted that there was an elevated risk of terror attacks in Nigeria, specifically in Abuja, warned Americans in the country to be cautious of their movements. 

The embassy had listed the targets as including government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, athletic gatherings, transport terminals, law enforcement facilities and international organizations.  

But Lai Mohammed yesterday said as much as Nigerians should always be on the alert, they should not panic.

He said: “Our country is safer today than at any time in recent times, thanks to the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. We do not discountenance the fact that terrorists, bandits and their kind would always want to do whatever it takes to disrupt

our nation’s peace, security and stability. But our security forces have been proactive.

 “Nigerians too should continue to be on the alert, but must not panic. Like I said in a recent statement, as far as insecurity is concerned, the worst is over for Nigeria”. 

He wondered why the Nigerian media published the security alert by the US Embassy without clarifying its authenticity. 

“Suddenly, this alert found its way into the media, both new and traditional, thus creating panic in the polity. Schools were shut, businesses were closed, travel plans were altered, lives were disrupted. No one cared to find out about the authenticity of this alert. They just published, got the benefit of massive clickbait and damned the consequences.” 

Mohammed said the spread of fake news had become more prevalent with the ease in access to connectivity over the digital space.

He said there was an available and affordable technology/software that could be used to distort digital content on the internet.

He said there was hope in eliminating the spread of fake news as the technology companies were increasingly involved in the development and deployment of technology

to checkmate the spread of disinformation on their platforms.  

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Patami, warned that if care was not taken, fake news could cause Third World War globally. 

Ali warned that whatever fake news being carried out against anyone or institution just to bring it down was not right as it would turn back to destroy the nation’s image and the person who spread the news.