President Bola Tinubu on Monday held a high-level security meeting with service chiefs, intelligence heads, and the Inspector-General of Police at the State House in Abuja.
The meeting, which began around 2:00 p.m., is the President’s first official engagement since returning from Bayelsa State on Friday. It comes amid growing security concerns, including a controversial military airstrike in Borno State that reportedly killed over 100 civilians.
Those present at the meeting include the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chiefs of Army, Navy, and Air Staff, as well as the heads of key intelligence agencies. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is also in attendance.
The emergency session follows a recent decision by the United States Department of State to authorise the voluntary departure of non-essential embassy staff and their families from Abuja, citing a deteriorating security environment. The advisory placed several Nigerian states under its highest travel risk category.
The Federal Government, however, maintained that the alert reflects internal United States protocols and does not represent the overall security situation in the country.
The security meeting also comes shortly after a Nigerian Air Force operation targeting insurgents reportedly struck a market in the Jilli area along the Borno–Yobe axis, resulting in heavy civilian casualties. While the Air Force stated that it conducted precision strikes on terrorist locations, it did not confirm hitting a civilian site.
Reacting to the incident, the Presidency defended the operation, noting that the location had allegedly been used as a logistics hub by insurgent groups. However, Amnesty International condemned the strike and called for an independent investigation, citing concerns over civilian protection.
Nigeria continues to face multiple security challenges, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and other forms of violence across different regions.
As of the time of this report, the security meeting at the Presidential Villa was still ongoing.