President Bola Tinubu on Friday convened a high-level meeting with Nigeria’s security chiefs at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he issued fresh directives to intensify efforts in combating the country’s growing security threats.
The closed-door session was attended by top military and intelligence officials, including the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, who briefed the press afterward.
According to Musa, the President expressed deep concern over the escalating insecurity in parts of the country, especially due to cross-border incursions by terrorists and jihadists operating across the Sahel region.
“The President has given clear directives that all threats must be dealt with decisively,” General Musa said. “He emphasized the need for stronger inter-agency collaboration and engagement with our neighboring countries to close off the porous borders fueling these threats.”
General Musa noted that several strategic decisions were reached during the meeting, including the bolstering of all military theatres across the nation.
“New equipment has been procured, approvals have been granted for air assets, and all security formations have been directed to increase the tempo of their operations,” he stated.
Also, the military strategies, the Defence Chief stressed the importance of non-kinetic approaches to peacebuilding. “We’re also focusing on collaboration with communities, as well as development efforts in volatile areas.
“The support of government and local actors is crucial in promoting peace and long-term stability.”
Musa reassured Nigerians that security agencies — including the military, the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Office of the National Security Adviser — are working in close coordination to restore and sustain peace. “We are united as a team, working together with a common objective of securing Nigeria,” he added.
He also urged the public to remain alert and avoid spreading misinformation. “We call on Nigerians to report any suspicious activity and refrain from sharing old or foreign videos being falsely presented as current events in Nigeria,” Musa warned.
The security meeting comes just ahead of President Tinubu’s scheduled trip to Rome, where he is expected to attend the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV on Saturday. The visit follows an official invitation from the Vatican, which emphasized the significance of the occasion for the global Catholic community.
Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced that Tinubu will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria; Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja; Archbishop Alfred Martins of Lagos; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, described the Nigerian President’s participation as “important for the Catholic Church and a world plagued by numerous tensions and conflicts.”
