Borno Airstrike: Tinubu, security heads meet in Aso Villa

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

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.

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;

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.

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.”

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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