Tinubu meets service chiefs behind closed doors at Aso Rock

President Bola Tinubu on Monday held a closed-door meeting with Nigeria’s Service Chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja, amid growing concerns over the country’s internal security challenges.

Sources at the Villa confirmed that the top military and security officials arrived at the forecourt early in the evening and were swiftly ushered into the President’s office under tight security.

The high-level meeting reportedly commenced at about 6:01pm local time. It marked President Tinubu’s first engagement with the military high command since recent changes in the nation’s defence leadership.

The meeting comes shortly after the swearing-in of General Christopher Musa (retd.) as Minister of Defence on December 4, a development widely viewed as part of a renewed strategy to address Nigeria’s security architecture.

Although the agenda of the meeting was not officially disclosed, it is taking place at a critical moment.

More than 100 students abducted from a Catholic boarding school in November remain in captivity, fuelling nationwide outrage and increasing pressure on the government to act decisively.

The engagement also follows President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency last month, during which he ordered the immediate recruitment of additional personnel into security agencies and directed the withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs to bolster internal security operations.

Additionally, the meeting comes just days after the Senate approved the President’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Benin Republic, following reports of an attempted coup in the neighbouring country, a development that has heightened regional security concerns.