• Kebbi schools remain shut for seven months over insecurity
• Victims of Oriire abduction still in captivity 55 days after
• Atiku, Kwankwaso demand protection for Obi

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday evening convened a security meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, comprising the entire military command, intelligence leadership and top security advisers, including his Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.).

Officials with knowledge of the meeting’s agenda told newsmen that Thursday’s gathering was a comprehensive review of the security situation in the country and across several theatres of operation. The closed-door engagement, which lasted for over two hours, was announced by the State House in a photograph released yesterday evening.

This is coming days after the United States announced it has withdrawn most of the troops it deployed to Nigeria for a recent counterterrorism mission after a joint operation with Nigerian forces targeting fighters of the Islamic State group in the North-East region.

While the Presidency did not issue a statement on the details of the meeting as at the time of this report, the meeting is coming two days after troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, supported by the Air Component of the Joint Task Force (North West), disrupted what the military had described as a major planned terrorist offensive in Zamfara and Katsina States. In a July 7 operation, three Nigerian Air Force aircraft tracked a convoy of approximately 300 heavily armed terrorists on motorcycles moving from the Sunke-Kumbo axis toward Gummi and conducted precision airstrikes on the formation.

In the North-East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai repelled a fresh assault on the Mairari military base on July 1, following coordinated attacks on military formations, some security analysts describe as a deliberate campaign by ISWAP to overrun forward operating bases and degrade the operational capacity of troops. At least 13 attacks on military bases have been recorded in 2026 alone, predominantly across Borno State.

At a previous security meeting in March, Defence Minister Musa told State House correspondents that the armed forces had come to brief the President on a series of attacks, adding that security forces had risen to the occasion.

Present yesterday were the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.); Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Isa; and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiandeye.

Also present were the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Adeola Ajayi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.); and the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunde Disu, along with other representatives of the security agencies.

As pressure mounts on abductors of Oriire school children in Oyo State, nearly two months after 46 pupils and teachers remain in captivity, schools still remain shut for seven months in some volatile areas of Kebbi State. The Kebbi State Government yesterday said the closure of schools was not politically motivated but aimed at ensuring the security of both staff and students. The Special Adviser to Governor Nasir Idris on Communication and Strategy, Abdullahi Zuru, stated this in a statement issued to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.

According to him, school closures in affected areas remain necessary, as the decision is intended to protect the lives of students and teachers. “The decision was taken about seven months ago due to persistent insecurity. The closure is not political. It is a direct response to banditry in the state and the Northwest region,” the special adviser said.

He alleged that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) had used faceless groups and social media to incite parents. “The aim is to demand immediate school reopening. The safety of our children cannot be subjected to politics. “No pressure will make us compromise on students’ lives. Kebbi is not alone in this trying period. Schools in Borno and other northern states remain closed. This is also due to long-standing insecurity,” he added.

To address the crisis, Zuru said Idris had donated hundreds of vehicles and motorcycles to security agencies. He added that the governor also increased military and mobile police presence, while providing financial and logistical support.

The governor also engaged key stakeholders, including security chiefs, traditional rulers and religious leaders, to find solutions. Zuru said Gov. Idris hosted first-term APC governors, where they strategised on curbing insecurity and pledged support for President Bola Tinubu.

BUT ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, has berated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for not addressing fresh reports on 17 million Nigerians living in abject poverty and many more displaced due to rising insecurity.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Abdullahi insisted that what the ruling party is after is the “next election.”

He said: “We have to ask ourselves if they truly believe in democracy. When we say we shall build a nation where justice and peace shall reign, that imposes responsibility on us. Democracy, by its definition, is the right of the people to choose. So, whatever you do to truncate the right of the people to choose undermines democracy.

“Our politics has become cynical, where people engage in demagoguery as politics. The country is sinking under their watch. The last report we had was that 17 million Nigerians are starving to death under their watch. That is the population of many countries and the President has not said a word. And democracy is anchored on the principle that you want to make life better for the people. That is one thing that this government does not care about.

“If you listen to them, they have only one problem — not kidnapping, not hunger. The only problem they have, as far as they are concerned, is 2027. When you listen to them, that is what they talk about, as if they are in opposition. As if their mandate has ended and they don’t have a duty to solve the problems that the country is confronted with.”

In a related development, former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has warned the Federal Government against any action that could threaten the safety of opposition leader, Peter Obi, declaring that nothing must happen to the former Anambra State governor. Atiku, in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the protection of Obi and other opposition figures remains a constitutional responsibility of the Nigerian state.

The former vice president’s warning comes amid rising political tensions following Obi’s recent comments alleging concerns over his safety and accusing the government of targeting his business interests. “Nothing must happen to Peter Obi. An injury to one is an injury to all. When one opposition leader is intimidated, every opposition voice is diminished. When one citizen begins to fear because of his political beliefs, democracy itself becomes the casualty,” Atiku said.

Atiku also demanded the immediate release of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, insisting that every Nigerian, regardless of political affiliation, deserves fair treatment, due process and equal protection under the law. He warned that democracy cannot survive where opposition figures are unable to express their views freely without fear of intimidation.

The call was also reiterated by the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu  Kwankwaso, who yesterday criticised the Federal Government’s handling of concerns raised by NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi and the detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, urging authorities to uphold justice, fairness and the rule of law.

In a statement shared on Thursday, Kwankwaso said Obi deserved state protection after expressing fears about his safety, while El-Rufai should be granted due process and a fair trial in line with constitutional provisions. He said, “Let me state clearly: like every Nigerian, our presidential candidate and all of us deserve the full protection of the state, not ridicule for raising legitimate concerns.”

So, he added that “a government entrusted with protecting citizens should not dismiss or mock credible calls for help from any individual, including Mr Peter Obi.”