Be Wary of Travelling to UK, FG Warns Nigerians

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Federal Government has warned Nigerians of the dangers of travelling to the United Kingdom at this time.

Following recent killing of three young girls at a concert, the Nigerian government, in a statement on Monday by the spokesperson of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Eche Abu-Obe, warned Nigerians planning a trip to UK to be wary of upsurge in violence.

Abu-Obe noted that violence in UK has assumed “dangerous proportions” as evidenced by reported attacks on law enforcement agents and damage to infrastructure.

He said to this end, citizens are advised to be extra vigilant and take measures as follows: avoiding political processions and protests, rallies or marches, avoiding crowded areas and large gatherings, and being vigilant and self-aware at all times

It has been reported that demonstrations by far-right and other extra-parliamentary groups in parts of the UK in recent weeks have been large, and in some instances unruly.

These disturbances have been aggravated by the deaths of the three girls, spawning an anti-immigration narrative, with particular emphasis on Muslim immigrants or persons of colour being targeted.

The security situation has been delicate as a large crowd of anti-Muslim protesters clashed with police last Tuesday in a northern English town where three girls were stabbed to death and five other children critically wounded during an attack on a Taylor Swift-themed event.

The horrific stabbing incident in Southport, a quiet seaside town north of Liverpool, has shocked the entire world and threw residents of UK into fear, though the police have not linked it to terrorism, revealing that the suspect was born in the UK.