Julius Berger closes down operations in Abuja as parents beg schools to shut
down.
Amid concerns over terror alerts issued by the United States Embassy and
some other foreign missions in the country, Julius Berger, a construction
company, has closed down operations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
Abuja.
Recall that the United Kingdom and the United States Embassy
on Sunday, October 23, 2022, issued a
security alert
on the elevated risk of terror attacks in Abuja.
In a security alert
issued to its nationals, the Embassy said targets may include but are not
limited to, government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping
malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, athletic gatherings, transport terminals, law
enforcement facilities, and international organizations.
The company,
in a statement released on Saturday, October 29, 2022, advised its staff to
avoid public premises during the weekend adding that temporary relocation to
other sites may be considered.
“It is advised to avoid all public
events within the FCT environment, including supermarkets, restaurants, hotels,
bars, clubs and other areas where many meet.
“It remains possible to
move to other Julius Berger Nigeria work or residential locations throughout the
weekend. Your safety is our primary concern,” the statement said.
In
a related development, parents have appealed to some school authorities to shut
down academic activities pending when the territory becomes safe for students
and teachers.
Mrs. Monica Adah whose daughter is schooling at the
Federal Government College Kwali, located in Kwali Area Council of the FCT, said
she had approached the management of the school, begging that academic
activities should be halted till further notice.
She said, “I am very worried. I can hardly sleep at night since the
security alert was made public on Sunday. I don’t want anything to happen to
my only daughter.
“I and some other parents have approached the
school management to find a way of suspending all activities at least for the
next three months. Nobody knows when this terrorist will attack. We should
learn to be proactive in this country. Are they waiting for the attack to
happen before they will ask students to return home? God forbid.”
Recall
that the school was on July 27, 2022, shut down when suspected Islamic State
West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram fighters attacked some facilities
near the school fence.
A police source who spoke to our reporter on
condition of anonymity said on Saturday that efforts are in gear to ensure
that the nation’s capital is safe for all residents.
According to
him, security agencies are working tirelessly to forestall all planned
attacks, stressing that some level of progress has been recorded in the last
few days, also confirming that a few persons have been arrested.
He
said, “We are doing everything possible to make sure that the attack doesn’t
happen. This is a serious matter and you should not be expecting the security
agencies to make everything public. Of course some arrests have been made and
normalcy will soon return”.
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