The U.S. diplomatic mission in Nigeria said Sunday it had received reports of plans for a possible attack against its consulate in the southern city of Lagos.
Officials said in a circular sent to U.S. citizens that Nigerian police had increased their vigilance around the consulate and were closely monitoring traffic nearby. The mission called on U.S. citizens to report any suspicious activity there.
The circular from the Abuja-based embassy and the Lagos consulate gave no further information. A U.S. Embassy spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
In September 2007, the U.S. Embassy said it had received information that Western and U.S. interests were at threat from a terrorist attack in Nigeria. The U.S. State Department said it was not responding to any specific threat.
Nigeria, which is a major supplier of crude oil to the United States, has never suffered a terrorist attack. The population of 140 million people is evenly split between Christians and Muslims.
The U.S. maintains a large consular services office in Lagos, a chaotic, crime-ridden city of 14 million people on Nigeria’s southern coast.