As parents plead for schools to close, Julius Berger suspends operations in Abuja due to a terror alert.

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.

Read also: DO NOT GO TO ABUJA; IF YOU ARE THERE, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.

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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