Following claims by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) that some states in Nigeria were unsafe, the police on Wednesday insisted that the country is safe and beautiful.
Admitting that the country was facing some security challenges, the police stated that Nigeria is one of the beautiful places in the world to live in.
The reaction came following a statement credited to FCO advising people not to travel to some states in the country.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in a report titled ‘Nigeria travel advice’, advised against all travel to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states and within 20 kilometre of the border with Niger in Zamfara State.
The FCO also advised against all but essential travel to Bauchi, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina, Kogi states, within 20 kilometre of the border with Niger in Sokoto and Kebbi states, non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers and Abia states.
Reacting to the travel advice through a statement in Abuja by the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said: “The attention of the police have been drawn to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice against all travel to some States and border areas in Nigeria.
“While the Nigeria Police acknowledge that Nigeria is not without some security challenges, just like other nations of the world, including the advanced democracies, we wish to restate that Nigeria remains one of the most beautiful places to live in the world. It is a safe country with its own peculiar socio-economic and security challenges.
“We therefore wish to reassure Nigerians and the international community of their safety and the commitment of the police and other security agencies to continue to provide effective security services to the nation.”