President Bola Tinubu on Thursday convened a nearly two-hour security meeting with service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, marking the first of such gathering since Tunji Disu assumed office as Inspector-General of Police.
Our correspondent observed that the security chiefs, who arrived at the Villa without their usual official vehicles, making identification difficult, departed the premises at approximately 5:10pm after extensive deliberations with the President.
The service chiefs and the IG were identified by our correspondent as they left the forecourt following the closed-door meeting.
The session comes amid heightened security concerns across the country, particularly the recent killings of military commanding officers in various theatres of operation.
In the past week alone, the military lost at least three commanding officers in charge of forward operating bases following a surge in attacks on security formations and personnel, especially in the North-East where Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgents have intensified assaults on military positions.
Notable among recent incidents was the attack on Ngoshe in Borno State, which resulted in abductions, as well as separate assaults on Konduga, Marte, Jakana, and Mainok, all in Borno State.
The attacks prompted responses from both President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, who vowed to deploy overwhelming force to end the insurgency.
During an Iftar dinner with service chiefs on March 6, President Tinubu had assured the military of his administration’s commitment to defeating terrorism despite the Borno attacks.
“Nigeria will defeat terrorism despite these attacks. We will not bow to insurgents,” the President had stated.
Vice President Shettima, in a statement signed by his spokesman Stanley Nkwocha, declared that the administration would end the insurgency with overwhelming force.
The Thursday security meeting is Disu’s first formal engagement with the President and service chiefs since his appointment as IGP on February 28, 2026, following the resignation of his predecessor.
As of the time of filing this report, details of the discussions at the security meeting had not been disclosed to the media.
However, PUNCH Online understands the meeting likely addressed the recent spike in attacks on security personnel, vulnerable communities in the North-East, and coordination among security agencies.
In a separate development, President Tinubu on Thursday summoned the Director-General of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Dr Olubunmi Kuku, for the second time in one week.
Our correspondent spotted the FAAN DG entering the Villa premises while the security meeting with service chiefs was still in session on Thursday afternoon.
The summons comes barely a week after the President suspended the cashless payment system at airport toll gates nationwide following widespread gridlock that caused passengers to miss flights.
On Wednesday, March 5, Kuku had met with the President hours after the suspension was announced, arriving at the Villa at approximately 5:45pm in the company of the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had announced after the Federal Executive Council meeting that President Tinubu directed the immediate suspension of the cashless system following complaints about traffic congestion at Lagos and Abuja airports.
“Mr. President was very concerned about the welfare of Nigerians and the fact that most Nigerians were losing their flights, missing their flights.
“So Mr. President, out of empathy, directed today that we should suspend the present system because it creates a lot of gridlock,” Keyamo had stated.
The President directed the ministry to engage private sector participants to develop a more efficient payment system that eliminates cash without causing gridlock.
Thursday’s meeting with the FAAN DG may be connected to progress on implementing the hybrid system that allows both cash payments and prepaid cards while a permanent solution is developed.
FAAN, as the operator of toll gates and collection points at airports nationwide, is central to implementing any revised payment system.
The cashless system was designed to replace a cash collection practice of over 50 years that had been prone to fraud and under-remittance of revenues to the federal government.
As of the time of filing this report, the FAAN DG was still at the President’s office.
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