Prince Charles cancels trip to Jos over security concerns

The Prince of Wales has canceled his trip to Jos in Plateau State, Nigeria , over security concerns , following months of deadly clashes between nomadic herders and farmers in the restive region.
Mailonline reports that Prince Charles and his second wife , Camilla , arrived in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday , on the tail end of a West African tour that has included Gambia and Ghana.

They were expected to travel to Jos on Thursday , the last day of their stay , to discuss peace -building and conflict resolution .

“ Due to operational constraints beyond our control, we have decided at this time not to include Jos during their royal highnesses ’ visit to Nigeria .

“ We are delighted to have an exciting programme of activity in Abuja and Lagos which will showcase those issues close to the Prince ’ s and the Duchess ’ s hearts .

“ The decision was taken upon advice from the Nigerian government and others involved in security and operational aspects of the visit , ” said a British foreign office spokeswoman on Monday .

Jos , the Plateau state capital of about one million people , is nestled in the hills of central Nigeria and has frequently been the scene of violence .

Plateau state lies in Nigeria ’ s so- called Middle Belt that separates the predominantly Muslim north from the largely Christian south.

It has long been a hotbed of ethnic , sectarian and religious tensions that flare up during election season .

Nigerians are set to vote in hotly contested presidential polls in February 2019 .

Earlier , President Muhammadu Buhari hosted Prince Charles and Camilla at the Presidential Villa , Abuja .

The couple were received at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory , Muhammed Bello .

After the airport formalities , they were driven to the Presidential Villa where they were received by the President .

They arrived the Presidential Villa at about 2 . 20 pm .

Buhari was joined by top government officials to welcome them .

After the welcome formalities , they retired into the President ’ s office where they held talks .

They did not address reporters at the end of the meeting .

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