• Ribadu: President deeply concerned, insists enough is enough
• COAS orders troops to flush out terrorists in Kwara
• Bandits kill residents, abduct many in fresh Zamfara attacks

After dozens of Nigerians had been slaughtered in brutal attacks across Benue, Plateau, and Kwara states, President Bola Tinubu yesterday summoned top security chiefs to an emergency meeting, issuing fresh directives to halt the bloodbath.

The meeting, which lasted for several hours, was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. No official statement was released regarding the resolutions reached at the end of the meeting, but it is believed that the President, during the closed-door session, expressed displeasure over the resurgence of attacks leading to the deaths of Nigerians.

NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, spoke briefly after the meeting, saying, “We, who are in charge of security, had the opportunity today to come and brief him properly for hours.

“It was detailed and exhaustive, covering everything from A to Z—what has been the case and what is happening today.

“We listened and took instructions from him. We received new directives. The fact is that Mr President is insisting and working very hard to ensure that we have peace, security, and stability in our country. We briefed him on what is going on, and we also assured him that work is ongoing and continuous.

“We also carried out his instructions. We went around; the chiefs visited all the areas where we had these incidences of insecurity; Plateau State, Benue State, and even Borno.

“We gave him feedback because he directed us to meet with the political authorities there.

“He is deeply concerned and insisted that enough is enough. We are working to restore peace and security. All of us—the armed forces—are involved.”

Top security chiefs present included the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Chris Musa; Director General of the Department of State Services, Mr Oluwatosin Ajayi; Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence, Benjamin Okolo; Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed; and Chief of Defence Intelligence of the Nigerian Army, General Emmanuel Undianeye.

Also present at the meeting was the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
THE President’s talks with the security chiefs came as governors of the 36 states of the federation convened a meeting yesterday evening in Abuja ahead of today’s National Economic Council (NEC) session.

Although no official agenda was disclosed, the worsening security situation across the country was expected to dominate discussions.
The governors were also anticipated to revisit the issue of state police, for which most states had submitted their positions since December 2024.

At the NEC meeting held on December 12, 2024, all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had expressed support for the creation of state police as part of efforts to tackle rising insecurity.

The meeting, scheduled to commence at 8:00 p.m., was confirmed by the secretariat of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Earlier this week, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, stated that the National Assembly was working on legal frameworks to facilitate the establishment of state police.

According to Bamidele, the move is aimed at providing a constitutional backing for states to manage their internal security more effectively.

ALSO, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt General Olufemi Oluyede, has directed soldiers to flush out a newly-emerged terrorist group operating in Kaiama and Baruten Councils of Kwara State within one month, in a bid to prevent the spread of their activities to other parts of the country.

Speaking to troops at Sobi Barracks in Ilorin, the state capital, during a visit aimed at motivating them ahead of their deployment to the troubled areas, Oluyede stressed that Nigeria could not afford another wave of terrorism.

The COAS, who was addressing concerns over the rise of the terror group, Mahmouda, warned that the army would not allow a repeat of the Boko Haram insurgency elsewhere in the country.

“So, you’re out here and I know you can do it to make sure those people (bandits) leave that place for us,” he told the soldiers.

“If they want to enter another country, that is their business, but you must push them out of those forests so we will not have another set of Boko Haram disturbing us here.”

MEANWHILE, a series of coordinated attacks by suspected bandits across parts of Zamfara State on Tuesday left several residents dead, others injured, and many abducted.

According to intelligence sources, the assailants struck multiple locations in Zurmi, Tsafe, and Talata Mafara Local Councils in the early hours of the day.

In the first incident, the attackers reportedly stormed Kaiwa Namba Village at about 5:30 a.m., killing several residents and abducting others. The exact number of those kidnapped remained unknown at the time of filing this report.

At approximately 9:15 a.m., more than 100 armed bandits riding motorcycles launched another assault on Bawa Ganga Village. Officers from the Police Mobile Force (PMF), deployed under Operation Restore Peace, engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle.

During the confrontation, Inspector Sunday Joel of MOPOL 10, Bauchi, sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Security reinforcements were swiftly mobilised to the area, and relative calm has since been restored.

In a separate attack, another group of bandits intercepted a Golf vehicle between Bobo and Tashar Rogo villages along the Anka–Mayanchi road at about 9:00 a.m.

During the ambush, the bandits killed Murtala Hali, a member of the Community Protection Guard (CPG), and the vehicle’s driver, Danjuma Abubakar. Another CPG member, Bashir Kolabe, was abducted by the attackers. The victims were reportedly on their way to Gusau to attend a court hearing on a banditry-related case.

Joint security forces have been deployed to the affected communities to stabilise the situation and prevent further attacks.