Abuja, Oct 29 (IANS): Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari allayed fears of citizens and warned against "unnecessary" panic over the current security situation in the country, saying security agencies were working around the clock to keep harm at bay.

In a statement, Buhari, who arrived home on Friday after a five-day trip to South Korea, said that while attacks are being foiled, security agents were proactively rooting out threats to keep citizens safe with much of their work unseen and necessarily confidential, reports Xinhua news agency.

Earlier this week, the US and British embassies in Nigeria released security advisories to their employees on a possible terror attack on public places in the capital Abuja, and subsequently a directive to families of non-emergency workers of the embassies to evacuate the west African country.

The statement said the recent changes in travel advice from the US and the British governments should not be a cause for panic, describing "terror" as "a reality the world over".

Despite the evacuation by the foreign governments and the panic caused so far, the presidential statement said security measures had been reinforced in and around the Federal Capital Territory.

"The President stresses that while being security conscious, staying alert, and careful, is crucial. It is also important that responsible members of society do not create situations leading to unnecessary panic," it said.