President Bola Tinubu is currently presiding over 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 at about 2:00 pm on Monday, is the first major engagement on the President’s schedule since his return to the capital from Bayelsa State on Friday.
Those in attendance include the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Staff, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu is also part of the closed-door session.
The emergency meeting comes amid growing security concerns, including the recent authorisation by the United States for non-emergency embassy staff and their families to leave Abuja over what it described as a deteriorating security environment.
The US move also saw 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states placed under a “Do Not Travel” advisory, citing threats from insurgents, bandit groups, and rising violence across several regions.
The Federal Government has since dismissed the travel advisory, insisting it does not reflect a general breakdown of law and order in the country.
The security discussions are also taking place in the aftermath of a controversial Nigerian Air Force strike in Borno State that reportedly hit Jilli Market along the Borno–Yobe border, resulting in significant civilian casualties.
While human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have raised concerns over the incident and called for investigations, the military maintains that the target was linked to terrorist logistics activities.
The Presidency has defended the operation, arguing that the location had been repurposed by insurgents as a logistics hub.
Amnesty International, however, has accused the military of disregard for civilian lives and called for an independent probe into the strike.
Nigeria continues to face multiple security challenges across the country, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, and separatist-related violence in parts of the South-East.
As of press time, the meeting was still ongoing, with security officials observed remaining inside the Presidential Villa.