Again, Tinubu Meets Security Chiefs

.As terrorists kill army Colonel, 4 others in Borno

By Yahaya Umar, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday held a security meeting with service chiefs, intelligence heads as well as other security chiefs in Nigeria.

The meeting which took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, AljazirahNigeria reports is the second of its kind in one month.

The closed-door meeting had in attendance the Chief of Defence Staff, National Security Adviser, chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Staff, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, and the Inspector-General of Police.

The meeting is coming amid rising attacks on military formations in parts of the country by terrorists.

Suspected Islamic State West African Province, ISWAP, have reportedly killed a Nigerian Army Colonel in Borno State.

According to report, the soldiers, including Colonel I.M Mohamed, were killed in an overnight attack on 242 Battion in Monguno, Borno State.

In a post on X, a jihadi researcher, Philip Brant, who has been monitoring violence in Borno and other parts of Lake Chad, including the Sahel, attributed the attack to ISWAP, a 2016 breakaway faction of Boko Haram.

Brant said four soldiers were killed alongside the senior army officer.

Military authorities have not issued an official statement about the attack, and an enquiry sent to army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Appolonia Anele had not been responded to.

The army colonel was the second high-ranking officer to be killed in less than a week.

On April 9,  terrorists killed some officers, including a Brigadier General, Oseni Braimah, in Benisheikh, Borno State.

ISWAP claimed responsibility for the attack and two other assaults on military formations in Pulka and Warabe.

In its propaganda message, the terror group said it killed three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, and five soldiers, including Mr Braimah.

However, the military said two officers and two soldiers were killed, but did not disclose the names or ranks of the officers and soldiers killed.

ISWAP has intensified attacks on military formations since the beginning of this year with at least four senior officers killed so far.

In response, the military continued to launch offensives, including aerial assaults against the group, disrupting their operations and destroying their camps.

Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has warned residents against aiding, harbouring, or providing logistic support to Boko Haram insurgents.

The warning followed recent operations conducted by the Air Component of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, in the Jilli, Gubio Local Government Area of the state.

Zulum in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dauda Iliya, described Jilli market as a notorious hub allegedly used by insurgents and their logistics suppliers.

“I have been properly briefed on the airstrike carried out by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai on Jilli market, a border town between Borno and Yobe states. Let me state categorically that the Borno State Government closed Jilli and Gazabure markets five years ago.

“I am in close consultation with the Government of Yobe State and the military hierarchy on the matter”, the governor said.

Zulum also explained that the state government maintains close coordination with the military and other security agencies before resettling any community or reopening markets, particularly in areas affected by insurgency.

He reiterated his administration’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding law-abiding citizens and sustaining collaborative efforts with security agencies to restore lasting peace and stability across the state.

He further urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that will aid ongoing military operations.