President Bola Tinubu on Monday held a closed-door meeting with Nigeria’s Service Chiefs at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, in what is widely seen as a critical security briefing amid growing national and regional challenges.
Our correspondent observed that the meeting commenced at about 6:01 pm local time, as the Service Chiefs arrived at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa and were subsequently ushered into the President’s office. The high-level engagement marks President Tinubu’s first formal meeting with the military high command since the swearing-in of General Christopher Musa (retd.) as the new Minister of Defence on December 4.
Although the official agenda of the meeting was not disclosed as of press time, the timing has drawn significant public attention, coming against the backdrop of persistent insecurity across the country. Notably, 115 students abducted in November from a Catholic boarding school remain in captivity, heightening concerns over the government’s response to kidnapping and violent crime.
The meeting also follows a series of decisive security-related actions taken by the President in recent weeks. On November 26, Tinubu declared a national security emergency, citing escalating threats across several regions of the country. As part of the emergency measures, he ordered fresh recruitment into the nation’s security agencies to bolster manpower and improve operational capacity.
In a move aimed at strengthening internal security and redeploying resources more effectively, the President also directed the withdrawal of all police personnel assigned to VIP protection duties. The decision was intended to return officers to frontline policing and address shortages affecting community and public security operations nationwide.
Monday’s meeting further comes just days after the Nigerian Senate approved President Tinubu’s request to deploy troops to neighbouring Benin Republic following an attempted coup in the country. The approval underscores Nigeria’s growing role in regional security cooperation and its commitment to maintaining stability within the West African sub-region.
Security analysts believe the discussions between the President and the Service Chiefs likely focused on the ongoing fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes, as well as Nigeria’s regional security obligations.
The presence of the Defence Minister is also expected to have reinforced coordination between civilian leadership and the armed forces.
