President Bola Tinubu on Monday held a closed-door meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, and a French military official at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of intensified efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
Sources close to the President said the engagement underscores growing international collaboration, particularly with France, in tackling insurgency in the North-East.
In a related move, Tinubu also convened an emergency security meeting with service chiefs and heads of intelligence agencies. Those in attendance included the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chiefs of Army, Navy, and Air Staff, the Directors-General of the Department of State Services and the National Intelligence Agency, as well as the Inspector-General of Police.
The meetings followed the killing of a colonel and six soldiers on Sunday after an Improvised Explosive Device planted by insurgents detonated in Borno State—another deadly blow to military operations in the region.
The President’s meeting with the French officer, which began around 2 pm, marked his first official engagement since returning from Bayelsa State on Friday. It also comes weeks after Tinubu disclosed that Nigeria had secured military equipment and training support from France following discussions with President Emmanuel Macron.
A Presidency source said Tinubu remains committed to exploring all avenues of support. “He has always said he will seek collaboration wherever possible, and that is what he is doing,” the source noted.
The developments come amid escalating security concerns nationwide. On Saturday, a Nigerian Air Force strike targeting insurgents reportedly hit a market near the Yobe State–Borno border, killing over 100 people, including civilians. While the military described it as a precision strike on a terrorist logistics hub used by Boko Haram and ISWAP, Amnesty International condemned the operation as reckless and called for an independent investigation.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of State recently authorised the voluntary departure of non-emergency staff from its embassy in Abuja, citing deteriorating security conditions. Several states were also placed under its highest travel advisory level.
The Federal Government, however, maintained that the alert reflects internal US protocols and does not indicate a nationwide breakdown of law and order. Information Minister Mohammed Idris stated that while some regions face security challenges, most parts of the country remain stable.
