Prince Charles forced to cancel final leg of Africa trip due to Nigeria violence

The Prince of Wales has been forced to cancel a visit to a Nigerian city on the final leg of his royal tour of Africa, after security measures introduced following deadly regional clashes disrupted plans for the trip.

Charles was supposed to travel to Jos on Thursday, where he would have heard about violence between farmers and cattle herders.

Clashes between the mostly Muslim nomadic cattle herders and Christian farmers, usually over land and grazing rights, have escalated into deadly violence which has killed thousands over the last year.

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A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “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.”

The Prince will now spend Thursday in the Nigerian capital of Abjua when he is due to hear about efforts to bring the communities together in Nigeria’s plateau state.

Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are visiting The Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria on their tour, ahead of the Prince’s 70th birthday on November 14.