Militant attacks on US embassies in Libya and Egypt has prompted the US embassy in Nigeria to issue a warning on Thursday to Americans in the country.

In the “emergency message” the embassy warned Americans about a possible attack from the Boko Haram sect only days after militants attacked the US consulate in Benghazi, killing a US ambassador and three other Americans, hours after a mob attacked the US embassy in Cairo.

“Extremists may attempt to target US citizens and other Westerners in Nigeria,” the embassy said in a statement.

It urged Americans “to consider their personal security”, saying that the situation in Nigeria remains “fluid and unpredictable”.