The U.S. consulate in Lagos, Nigeria has been temporarily closed down due to unspecified security concerns according to an announcement Friday by the State Department.
Other countries who have diplomatic posts on the same street in Lagos also closed their buildings including Great Britain, Germany, Italy and India.
Nigerian police and bomb squads then cordoned off the area around the consulates and would not let any vehicles pass through unless they were first inspected for explosives according to a report by CNN.
Claudia Anyaso, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy told CNN that the security situation was 'of mutual concern to the United States government and Nigerian government' and that 'the issue is being addressed with the help and close collaboration of the Nigerian police.'
According to a report by Reuters, a diplomatic source said that officials had received information that foreign Islamic militant organizations had threatened the U.S. consulate in Lagos.
Nigeria has a population that is roughly 50 percent Muslim and 50 percent Christian. Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden has often said Nigeria is a candidate for 'liberation' although there has been no evidence that al-Qaeda has been operating inside the country. There is a long history of ethnic tensions and bloodshed between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.
Right now, the search continues for explosives and Nigerian officials remain on high alert.
