TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) lodged a strong protest with Nigeria Saturday after the African country sent 25 armed police to shut down Taiwan’s representative office in the capital Abuja by force.

In January, Nigeria already ordered Taiwan to move its office out of the capital to its most populous city, Lagos, apparently under pressure from China. As Panama switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing last month, the Nigerian threat surfaced again.

On Friday, 25 armed police showed up to close the Taiwanese office and force employees to leave. A protest by staff did not resolve the situation, leading them to decide to evacuate the office in order to ensure their own safety.

MOFA called on the Nigerian government to cease its extreme behavior and to immediately withdraw its police from the premises and handle the issue by rational dialogue.

Because talks during recent months did not produce any agreement, Taiwan had already started preparing a move to Lagos, so Friday’s violent and extreme behavior was totally unnecessary, reports said.

According to MOFA, a similar incident occurred in May 2004, when the Taiwanese office stayed closed for five months.

The ministry has said it is contemplating measures to deal with the Nigerian office in Taipei. Earlier reports said it might be ordered to leave the Taiwanese capital.