The Canada High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, has announced the suspension of its operations in the country until further notice, accompanied by a warning against non-essential travel to Nigeria.
The embassy has issued a travel advisory cautioning against non-essential travel to Nigeria, including Abuja, citing the unpredictable security situation and a significant risk of crime, inter-communal clashes, armed attacks, and kidnapping throughout the country.
Although the reason for the suspension of operations in Nigeria has not been explicitly stated, a fire outbreak occurred at the Canada High Commission in Abuja on Monday, resulting in the tragic loss of two lives and the injury of two others.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) attributed the fire outbreak to a diesel tank explosion in the embassy’s generator house.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly responded to the incident on her official X (formerly Twitter) handle, stating, “We can confirm there was an explosion at our High Commission in Nigeria.
The fire is out, and we are working to shed light on what caused this situation. I send my heartfelt condolences to the families of the 2 people killed in this tragedy.”
President Bola Tinubu expressed his condolences to the Canadian government and the victims of the fire outbreak through a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale.
The statement conveyed President Tinubu’s prayers for the repose of the departed souls and his wishes for a swift and complete recovery for all those injured in the incident.