President Bola Tinubu on Thursday held a high-level security meeting with the nation’s military and intelligence chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid renewed security challenges in parts of the country.
The closed-door meeting brought together the country’s top security officials to assess the prevailing security situation and review ongoing military and intelligence operations across various theatres of conflict.
Among those in attendance were the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiandeye; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed; the President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.); Inspector-General of Police, Olatunde Disu; and other senior security officials.
The meeting came against the backdrop of renewed attacks by armed groups in several parts of the country and increasing concerns over insecurity.
It also followed a major counter-terrorism operation carried out earlier this week by troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force under the Joint Task Force (North West).
According to the military, the operation foiled what it described as a coordinated terrorist offensive in Zamfara and Katsina states after intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets detected a convoy of about 300 heavily armed terrorists travelling on motorcycles from the Sunke-Kumbo axis towards Gummi.
The military said three Nigerian Air Force aircraft were subsequently deployed to carry out precision airstrikes, disrupting the terrorists’ movement and inflicting heavy casualties.
Although details of Thursday’s meeting were not disclosed, it is understood that the President received briefings on the security situation nationwide and reviewed ongoing operations aimed at tackling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The meeting also comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to strengthen inter-agency collaboration and sustain military offensives against criminal elements threatening lives and property across the country.