President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday convened an emergency security meeting with service chiefs and heads of intelligence agencies at the State House, Abuja, amid mounting concerns over the country’s deteriorating security environment and the fallout from a controversial airstrike in Borno State.

The closed-door session brought together the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.

Also in attendance was the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, alongside other senior security officials.
The high-level meeting comes at a time of heightened anxiety over Nigeria’s security trajectory, following a recent travel advisory issued by the United States Department of State authorising the voluntary departure of non-emergency personnel and their families from its embassy in Abuja.

The advisory, released on April 8, cited a “deteriorating security situation” and placed 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states under a Level 4: “Do Not Travel” classification—the highest risk category. Newly listed states include Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba.

U.S. authorities pointed to persistent threats ranging from insurgency in the North-East to banditry in the North-West and North-Central, as well as violence in parts of the South and South-East, including oil-producing regions.
In response, the Federal Government dismissed the advisory as a routine precaution based on U.S. internal protocols, maintaining that it does not reflect the broader reality across the country.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said that while isolated security incidents persist, “there is no general breakdown of law and order, and the vast majority of the country remains stable.”
The emergency meeting is also taking place against the backdrop of a controversial Nigerian Air Force airstrike in Borno State, which has triggered widespread concern following reports of heavy civilian casualties.

The strike, carried out on Saturday at Jilli Market along the Borno–Yobe border, was reportedly aimed at suspected Boko Haram targets.

However, local sources claimed that more than 100 civilians may have been killed in the incident.
While the Nigerian Air Force confirmed conducting “precision mop-up airstrikes on identified terrorist locations” in the Jilli axis, it has not acknowledged civilian casualties or confirmed that a market was hit.
The Presidency, however, defended the operation.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, said the location had been compromised by insurgents, describing the market as having evolved into “a legitimate military target” after being used as a logistics and trading hub by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters.
The developments underscore the complex and multi-layered nature of Nigeria’s security challenges.

Across the country, the government continues to confront insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnapping in the North-West and North-Central, and separatist tensions in the South-East—each placing sustained pressure on the nation’s security architecture.

The latest meeting at the State House signals growing urgency within the administration to reassess strategy, strengthen coordination among security agencies, and respond to both operational challenges and rising public concern.

While details of the deliberations remain undisclosed, the convergence of rising attacks, international concern, and controversy over military operations highlights a critical moment for Nigeria’s security framework.
For President Tinubu, the challenge ahead is twofold: sustaining pressure on armed groups while ensuring that military operations maintain precision, accountability, and public trust.