Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is holding an emergency security meeting at the State House in Abuja, gathering top military and intelligence officials to review recent developments affecting national security.
The meeting, which began at 2:00 pm on Monday, includes service chiefs, intelligence heads, and the Inspector-General of Police, alongside National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The session comes as the United States authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency embassy staff and family members from Abuja due to a “deteriorating security situation”.
The US State Department also placed 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states under a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory, citing terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime concerns.
The Nigerian government maintains that the advisory doesn’t reflect a nationwide security breakdown, with Minister Mohammed Idris stating that “while we acknowledge isolated security challenges in some areas, there is no general breakdown of law and order, and the vast majority of the country remains stable”.
The meeting also addresses the aftermath of a Nigerian Air Force operation targeting Boko Haram fighters, which reportedly hit Jilli Market along the Borno-Yobe border on April 11, killing over 100 civilians, including children.
Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation into the incident, describing it as evidence of “the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect” .
