Days after it issued a terrorist attack alert in Nigeria, the United States Government on Wednesday notified its citizens that insurgents are planning an attack on large gatherings in Johannesburg, South Africa.
“The U.S. government has received information that terrorists may be planning to conduct an attack targeting large gatherings of people at an unspecified location in the greater Sandton area of Johannesburg, South Africa, on 29 October 2022.
“There is no further information regarding the timing, method, or target of the potential attack. The U.S. Embassy has advised staff to avoid crowds of people and other large public gatherings in the greater Sandton area of Johannesburg during the weekend of 29-30 October 2022,” the alert on the embassy’s website read.
The US and Britain had on Sunday warned of possible terror attacks in Abuja, Nigeria’s political capital city, saying terrorists could be targeting government buildings, places of worship, schools and other centres.
The US further urged its citizens and Embassy staff in Abuja to leave Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.
However, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said that the Federal Government won’t be stampeded by the terror advisories released by the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom.
According to him, Nigeria will not be stampeded by whatever any government decides to tell its people living in Abuja and parts of the country.
Disturbingly, a number of daring terrorist attacks have been recorded in Abuja in 2022 and other parts of Nigeria. On July 5, 2022, insurgents invaded the Kuje prison in Abuja and freed hundreds of inmates including hardened Boko Haram fighters.
The marauders also in the same month attacked the advance convoy of President Muhammadu Buhari near Dutsinma in Katsina State. The emboldened terrorists would later in August ambush and kill some members of the Presidential Guards Brigade in Abuja.
Similarly, on March 28, 2022, the ferocious terrorists attacked a Kaduna-Abuja train, killed scores, kidnapped many passengers and held them hostages for over six months before their eventual release earlier in October.
On June 5, 2022, terrorists also invaded a Catholic church in Owo, the hometown of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, in South-West Nigeria, killed over 40 worshippers and injured scores of church members.
