President Muhammadu Buhari has denounced as worrisome escalation, the drone strikes in the United Arab Emirates that caused explosions and a deadly fire outside the capital, Abu Dhabi.

“On behalf of the government and the people of Nigeria, we express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the people and the friendly state of the UAE,” the president said.

Mr Buhari, in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, on Tuesday called on “all reasonable” people around the world to condemn such attack targeting innocent people and civilian infrastructure. 

Mr Buhari urged restraint by all parties involved and to give dialogue and engagement a chance. 

World leaders, including the United Nations, have rallied around the UAE since the drone attack, which killed three migrant workers and wounded six others.

Emirati officials said they were weighing a response to what they labelled a “sinister criminal escalation”, as satellite images were published revealing damage to an oil plant in Abu Dhabi.

(NAN)