Buhari Holds National Security Council Meeting With Service Chiefs, Others

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday presided over the National Security Council meeting which held at the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.

The security council meeting holds quarterly and issues affecting the security structure, apparatus, and operation in Nigeria are usually discussed.

Naija News reports that Tuesday’s meeting is the first with the newly appointed service chiefs who came on board in January 2021 and were confirmed by the National Assembly in February 2021.

Those present at the meeting are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha; the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd).

Others are the Ministers of Defense, Interior, Police Affairs, and Foreign Affairs; Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (Rtd), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Muhammad Dingyadi, and Mr Geoffrey Onyema, respectively.

Security chiefs in attendance include Chief of General Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amoo; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo.

Also in the meeting are the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu; Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

The Chief of Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Major General Samuel Adebayo is also in attendance at the meeting.

In other news, the Kaduna State Government has insisted that it would not negotiate with bandits in order to curb the persistent attacks in the state.

Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, made this known in an interview on Channels Television, monitored by Naija News.

Aruwan disclosed that the bandits from neighboring states are behind the attacks in the state, hence there is no justification to negotiate with criminals who have nothing on the table.

He also explained that the state government in collaboration with the Federal Government is working assiduously to put more boots on the ground especially in the rural communities where most of the attacks occur.