Prince Charles Cancels Visit To Nigerian City After Civil Unrest

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were scheduled to travel to Jos in Nigeria on the last day of their African tour, but a security threat has resulted in their cancellation of the trip.

As the Evening Standard reported, Charles and Camilla were supposed to be traveling to the city to learn about violence among farmers and cattle herders. Instead, the couple will spend their final day on tour in the capital city of Abuja, and they will hear about “efforts to bring the communities together in Nigeria’s plateau state.”

A Foreign Office spokeswoman made an official statement about the unexpected change of plans.

“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 program 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.”

The violence between the predominantly Muslim cattle herders and the predominantly Christian farmers has escalated into violence and has claimed thousands of lives in the past year.

So far on his tour, Charles, who is currently in Ghana, has addressed concerns over climate change, rapid urbanization, and the depletion of resources across the globe that comes with this rise in urbanization. His audience during the speech included Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo and his wife, Camilla. He also suggested that the Commonwealth should help to protect the planet and the environment.

“In such an uncertain and changing world, none of us can know what kind of a planet our grandchildren, and great grandchildren, will inhabit, but the Commonwealth, it seems to me, offers us a vital mechanism to help ensure that it is not poisoned and polluted and that its vitality is not compromised,” Charles said.

He also added that “we owe it to them” to strengthen the partnerships between the U.K. and other members of the Commonwealth that have weakened over the years.

Charles and Camilla later also attended an event where the major issue of plastic pollution was discussed, with a number of different groups, ranging from artists and civil society to the Ghanaian government and industry experts, detailed plans they have come up with to tackle the ongoing plastics problem in the country.