Tinubu meets security chiefs, Ribadu over insecurity

2026-03-12 - 20:28

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with top security officials, including the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tunji Disu. The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, took place at the State House in Abuja. It began in the afternoon after the security chiefs arrived quietly and ended at about 5:10 p.m. Among those present were Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi; and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Olufemi Oluyede. Others at the meeting included the Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Kelvin Aneke; and Chief of Naval Staff, Idi Abbas. As of the time this report was filed, the presidency had not released details of the discussions. However, indications suggest the meeting may be linked to the recent surge in terror attacks and renewed assaults on military installations across the country, especially in the north-east, which have resulted in the deaths of several senior military officers. On Monday, a commanding officer of the Nigerian Army was killed after suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked a military base in Kukawa, Borno State. The incident occurred about a week after suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters attempted to storm military positions in Ngoshe, in Gwoza Local Government Area of the state. On Tuesday, Nigerian troops also repelled an early-morning assault by suspected ISWAP fighters on a military base in Doron Baga, located in Kukawa LGA of Borno. Speaking last Friday during an interfaith breaking of the fast with members of the Nigerian Armed Forces at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu expressed confidence that the country would overcome the security challenges. He said Nigeria would “ultimately prevail against all forms” of insecurity. The president also noted that the efforts of the military and other security agencies had continued to weaken terrorist groups and bandits operating in different parts of the country. Tinubu assured the armed forces that his administration would sustain investment in modern equipment, intelligence gathering, and logistics to improve their operational effectiveness.