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Tinubu Meets Security Chiefs as Kidnapping, Banditry Worsen

Tinubu’s emergency security meeting is a blunt reflection of Nigeria’s deepening crisis: as kidnappings, bandit attacks and insurgent raids spread across multiple fronts, the pressure on the country’s security leadership is rising fast.

Atlantic Post

July 9, 2026

2–4 minutes

Abuja, Banditry, Bola Tinubu, Kidnapping, Military Chiefs, Nigeria security

ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu on Thursday held a closed-door security meeting with Nigeria’s top military commanders, intelligence chiefs and senior security officials at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as kidnapping, banditry and terrorist attacks continue to escalate across the country.

The meeting, which lasted for more than two hours, brought together the country’s security leadership for what officials described as a strategic review of the worsening security situation and ongoing military operations in several conflict zones.

Although the Presidency had not issued an official statement as of the time of filing this report, photographs released by the State House confirmed the attendance of key national security figures.

Those present included the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Isa; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiandeye; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed; Inspector-General of Police, Olatunde Disu; and the President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.).

The emergency meeting came against the backdrop of renewed security concerns in several parts of the country, with military operations intensifying in the North-West and North-East to counter armed groups.

Earlier in the week, troops under Operation FANSAN YAMMA, supported by the Nigerian Air Force, launched coordinated strikes that disrupted what the military described as a large-scale terrorist offensive in Zamfara and Katsina states.

According to military sources, air assets tracked a convoy of about 300 armed terrorists riding on motorcycles from the Sunke-Kumbo axis towards Gummi before carrying out precision strikes on the formation.

Security forces also announced the killing of Alhaji Tukur, described as a notorious bandit commander and younger brother of wanted kingpin Alhaji Shehu Bagiwaye, during an operation in Dogon Kade.

In the North-East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai recently repelled an attack on the Mairari military base after suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters launched another assault on a military formation.

Security analysts say the repeated attacks point to a more coordinated push by insurgents to pressure military positions and test the resilience of Nigeria’s defence architecture.

Reports indicate that at least 13 military bases have come under attack in 2026, with most of the incidents recorded in Borno State, deepening concern over the evolving threat posed by insurgent groups in the region.

The security meeting also followed renewed alarm over the country’s worsening kidnapping crisis, which has spread across multiple states and affected both rural communities and urban travellers.

Speaking earlier on Thursday through the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Major General Adamu Garba Laka (retd.), Ribadu described kidnapping as one of Nigeria’s gravest security challenges.

According to the NSA, criminal groups are increasingly using sophisticated tactics, including technology, while also operating across state boundaries, making a coordinated national response more urgent.

He said defeating the evolving threats would require stronger inter-agency collaboration, improved intelligence sharing and sustained joint operations among security services.

As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not disclosed the resolutions reached at the meeting or whether fresh directives had been issued to security agencies.

The meeting is expected to heighten public attention on the administration’s next steps as Nigerians continue to face persistent attacks, ransom-driven kidnappings and bandit violence in several parts of the country.