Borno Airstrike: Tinubu, security heads meet in Aso Villa

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By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

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ABUJA – President Bola Tinubu convened an urgent security meeting on Monday with top brass at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, as Nigeria battles escalating threats nationwide.

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The closed-door session was attended by the Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Oluyede; Army Chief Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Naval Chief Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Anele;

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Also present were the Director-General, Department of State Services, DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi; Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu; National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; and other key officials.

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Though details remain under wraps, the meeting follows a stark US State Department advisory on April 8, authorizing voluntary departure of non-essential embassy staff and families from Abuja amid a “deteriorating security situation.”

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It slapped “Level 4: Do Not Travel” on 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states—including new additions Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba—citing Northeast insurgency, Northwest/North-Central banditry, and violence in the South/Southeast oil regions.

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It also temporarily stopped Abuja visa services but Lagos office was not affected.

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But the Nigeria’s government brushed it off as routine US protocol. The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris insisted no nationwide law-and-order collapse exists, with most areas stable despite isolated incidents.

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It was also expected that the meeting would address fallout from a Saturday Nigerian Air Force airstrike in Borno’s Jilli Market along the Yobe border, which reportedly recorded casualties mostly civilians while targeting Boko Haram.

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The Air Force confirmed “precision mop-up” on terrorist sites but skipped civilian casualty claims. The Presidency defended it, with Senior Special Assistant Tope Ajayi telling Bloomberg the market had morphed into an insurgent logistics hub, making it a legitimate target.

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Nigeria’s security woes persist: Northeast insurgency, Northwest/North-Central banditry and kidnappings, Southeast separatist unrest—all straining the nation’s defenses.

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