Insecurity: Tinubu Meets CDS, Service Chiefs, Security Heads

* Presidency defends airstrike, saying location had been compromised by insurgents

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu on Monday afternoon met with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the three service chiefs, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and heads of intelligence agencies at the State House, Abuja.

The emergency meeting held at the first floor office of the president was convened amid mounting concerns over the country’s security situation especially the recent attacks on military formation in Borno State.

The closed-door session was attended by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Anele; the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, and IGP Tunji Disu.

Also present was the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, alongside other top security officials.

The crucial security meeting is also taking place in the wake of a controversial Nigerian Air Force airstrike in Yobe State that reportedly killed over 100 civilians.

The strike, which occurred on Saturday at Jilli Market along the Borno-Yobe border, was aimed at suspected Boko Haram targets. 

While the Nigerian Air Force confirmed carrying out “precision mop-up airstrikes on identified terrorist locations” in the Jilli axis, it did not acknowledge civilian casualties or confirm that a market was hit.

The Presidency, however, defended the operation, stating that the location had been compromised by insurgents.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, said the market had become “a legitimate military target” after being turned into a logistics and trading hub by Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters.

Monday’s meeting was held against the backdrop of recent developments, including a travel advisory issued by the United States Department of State authorising the voluntary departure of non-emergency government personnel and their families from its embassy in Abuja.

The advisory, issued on April 8, cited “deteriorating security situation” and placed 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states under a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” classification, the highest risk category. Newly added states include Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger and Taraba.

US authorities highlighted threats ranging from insurgency in the North-east to banditry in the North-west and North-central, as well as persistent violence in parts of the South and South-east, including oil-producing regions. 

The embassy subsequently suspended visa appointments in Abuja, although its Lagos consulate continues to offer routine and emergency services.

Reacting to the US travel advisory, the Federal Government dismissed the advisory as a routine precaution based on US internal protocols, insisting it does not reflect the broader security reality across the country.

Information and National Orientation Minister, Mohammed Idris, said while isolated incidents persist, “there is no general breakdown of law and order, and the vast majority of the country remains stable”.