President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, held a two-hour security meeting with service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to recalibrate strategies to counter renewed attacks in parts of the country.
The meeting came just a day after the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd.), summoned all service chiefs following the resurgence of insurgency in the North-East, where more than three military bases were overrun by insurgents in less than a week.
Yesterday’s meeting marked the first such gathering since Tunji Disu assumed office as Inspector-General of Police, and saw President Tinubu give the marching orders for the military to acquire additional equipment to strengthen ongoing operations against terrorists and bandits.
According to the Minister of Defence, the meeting reviewed the current security situation nationwide, particularly the resurgence of attacks on military formations in parts of the North-East, especially Borno State. Musa said the armed forces and other security agencies had already adjusted their operational tactics to confront the evolving strategies of insurgent groups.
The meeting was attended by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke.
Others present included the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed; and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.
“The meeting was essentially for the services to brief Mr. President on the current situation on the ground. You know, there have been a series of attacks and the security forces have risen to the occasion,” Musa told journalists after the meeting.
Musa said the security chiefs used the meeting to give the President a comprehensive operational update and to clarify what he described as misinterpretations of security developments circulating in public discourse .
The Defence Minister acknowledged that insurgents had carried out recent attacks but insisted that Nigerian troops were recording significant operational successes, including the killing of terrorist commanders and the recovery of targeted locations. According to him, insurgent groups are suffering heavier casualties in ongoing engagements with Nigerian forces.
While admitting that the military had also suffered losses, Musa described the fallen officers and soldiers as courageous personnel who paid the ultimate price in defence of the country.
He added that extremist groups often intensify attacks during the Ramadan period due to ideological motivations that encourage suicide missions and violent acts. Nevertheless, the minister maintained that Nigerian forces had already begun reclaiming strategic locations and neutralising key insurgent elements.
Reassuring citizens, Musa urged Nigerians not to lose confidence in the country’s security institutions. “Our appeal to Nigerians is not to get tired or discouraged.”
The security chiefs, who arrived at the Villa without their usual official vehicles, making identification difficult, departed the premises at exactly 5:10 p.m. after extensive deliberations with the President.
In the past week alone, the military lost at least three commanding officers in charge of forward operating bases following a surge in attacks on security formations and personnel, especially in the North-East, where Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgents have intensified assaults on military positions.
Notable among recent incidents was the attack on Ngoshe in Borno State, which resulted in abductions, as well as separate assaults on Konduga, Marte, Jakana, and Mainok, all in Borno State. The attacks prompted responses from both President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, who vowed to deploy overwhelming force to end the insurgency.
This is as troops of the Joint Task Force, North-East, under Operation HADIN KAI, successfully repelled coordinated attacks by suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province, killing more than 20 insurgents in Yobe State. The attacks targeted troops stationed in Goniri, under Sector 2 of the operation, from the night of Monday, March 9, through the early hours of Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
The military disclosed this in a statement yesterday by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Sani Uba.
According to the statement, the terrorists attempted to launch coordinated assaults from multiple directions in a bid to encircle the troops’ positions. He explained that the terrorists were initially detected through surveillance assets as they advanced simultaneously from Goniri village and the Ngamdu Junction axis.
“The terrorists were initially detected through surveillance assets advancing simultaneously from Goniri village and the Ngamdu Junction axis in an apparent attempt to encircle the military location,” he added.
During an Iftar dinner with service chiefs on March 6, President Tinubu had assured the military of his administration’s commitment to defeating terrorism despite the Borno attacks. “Nigeria will defeat terrorism despite these attacks. We will not bow to insurgents,” the President had stated.
Vice President Shettima, in a statement signed by his spokesman Stanley Nkwocha, declared that the administration would end the insurgency with overwhelming force.
In a separate development, President Tinubu on Thursday summoned the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Dr Olubunmi Kuku, for the second time in one week.
The FAAN MD was spotted entering the Villa premises while the security meeting with service chiefs was still in session on Thursday afternoon.
The summons comes barely a week after the President suspended the cashless payment system at airport toll gates nationwide following widespread gridlock that caused passengers to miss flights.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Disu, has extolled his predecessor for setting the police force on the right footing by laying the foundation for professional policing.
Disu also revealed that his path and that of Kayode Egbetokun crossed when they both worked for Tinubu as governor of Lagos and recalled with nostalgia that the former IGP displayed signs of leadership right from the start, stressing that his ability to navigate tough terrains was a result of his commitment and dexterity in handling complex issues.
He maintained that the force under his leadership would also draw on the knowledge of former IGPs and ensure that the integrity and professionalism of personnel are not compromised at any time.
The IGP stated this during the official pull-out parade that marked the ceremonial termination of service of the immediate past IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
In his speech, the outgoing IGP expressed gratitude to God and all the officers who made his tenure a success.
According to him: “I am filled with gratitude to God and profound appreciation for the privilege of serving our great nation through this noble institution. At this moment, I must respectfully acknowledge the distinguished Inspectors-General of Police who served before me.
“Through their leadership, dedication and sacrifices, they laid the foundations upon which the Nigeria Police Force continues to evolve in response to the security needs of our nation. The office of the Inspector-General of Police represents not merely an individual tenure, but a continuum of service and responsibility passed from one leadership to another in the collective interest of the Force and the Nigerian people.
“Whatever progress was recorded during my tenure must therefore be seen as part of that continuing institutional journey,” Egbetokun said.
Guardian
