President Bola Tinubu is in a closed-door meeting with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; and the service chiefs at the State House in Abuja.
In attendance at the meeting include the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. C.G Musa; the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen T. A Lagbaja; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla; and the Chief of Air Staff, AVM H.B Abubakar.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun is also present at the security meeting.
The meeting is not unconnected to the worrisome security situation in the country. Monday’s meeting is the President’s first formal engagement with the NSA and the service chiefs since their appointment on June 19, 2023.
Monday’s engagement followed Tinubu’s return to base in Abuja on Sunday after a string of Sallah activities in Lagos last week.
The President had on June 19 removed all the service chiefs he met in office exactly three weeks after his inauguration and appointed new ones whom he directed to resume with immediate effect.
The move by the President followed persistent calls by civil society organisations that the security architecture be rejigged and fresh hands allowed to handle the nation’s security apparatus.
Between May 2015 and May 2023, verifiable data showed that over 55,000 Nigerians were killed by terrorists, bandits, and armed gangs during the administration of immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari. The former military head of state was criticised by many over the alarming killings in the country under his watch.
During his inauguration speech, Tinubu, who took over from Buhari, his fellow party man on May 29, 2023, promised to “defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country”, adding that “to effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security doctrine and its architecture”.
With bated breath, Nigerians expect quick stop to the activities of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other gunmen operating in the country.
