The Nigerian government on Tuesday condemned the recent killing of three doctors of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the northeastern state of Yobe. The act is a terrible and an embarrassing one, Minister of State I for Foreign Affairs Viola Onwuliri told reporters in the capital Abuja. Nigerian police told Xinhua on Sunday that the three Asian doctors killed by unknown attackers in the town of Potiskum were from the DPRK.

"Mr. President has been doing everything possible to give a positive impression of this country to the international community and things like these will definitely dent the image of the country and make our work more difficult," the minister added. "It sets us back and then we begin to look for ways to clean up the mess," she said.

The minister urged Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used to perpetrate acts which could dent the image of the country and stall development.

She encouraged the diplomatic community to have faith in the government to deal with the nation's security challenges. The three DPRK doctors attached to Potiskum General Hospital were killed in their rented quarters in Potiskum on Sunday.

The Nigerian government has promised to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book. Endi