By John Ikani
The US Embassy in Nigeria has issued a security alert to American citizens in the country, advising them of the possibility of protests and restricted movements on February 25 and March 11.
The notice, titled “Security Alert – Possible Protests Leading to Elections and Restricted Movements on Election Days,” was posted on the Embassy’s website, urging US nationals to avoid rallies, which can turn violent with little or no notice.
The Embassy also recommended that American citizens have enough food and water at home for three days in case the movement restrictions extend beyond the election days.
According to the notice, the Nigerian Government will limit the movement of all personal vehicles on election days throughout the country.
Only law enforcement personnel and Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC)-accredited election observers will be allowed to move freely along the roads.
Based on past election practices, the Embassy expects personal vehicles to be blocked from any attempted road movement from 00:00 until 18:00 on February 25 and March 11.
The Embassy advised citizens to be attentive to the Nigerian government’s information about the restrictions and to note that movement restrictions could be extended at any time.
Recently, protests erupted in several Nigerian states due to the shortage of new naira notes and petrol. Frustrated Nigerians, whose money was trapped in the banking system, vandalized banks and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, recently prohibited the use of old N500 and N1,000 notes and extended the validity of old N200 notes until April 10, 2023.
However, at least ten governors have requested the Supreme Court to set aside the President’s order, with a hearing scheduled for February 22.
