President Bola Tinubu on Monday convened an emergency security meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, bringing together top military commanders, intelligence chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police over rising security concerns in the country.
The closed-door meeting, which began around 2:00 pm, comes at a tense moment marked by international and domestic security developments, including the United States’ approval for non-emergency embassy staff to leave Abuja, following what it described as a “deteriorating security situation.”
It also follows widespread outrage over a Nigerian Air Force operation in Borno State on Saturday, April 11, 2026, which reportedly struck Jilli Market along the Borno–Yobe border, leaving over 100 civilians dead and several others injured.
Those attending the meeting include the Chief of Defence Staff, the service chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.
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National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu is also part of the high-level discussions at the State House.
The US State Department had earlier on April 8, 2026, authorised voluntary departure for non-emergency personnel and family members attached to its Abuja mission, citing growing security risks in the capital.
Meanwhile, the Air Force has confirmed carrying out “precision mop-up airstrikes on identified terrorist locations” in the Jilli axis, though it did not directly address claims that a civilian market was affected.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International, relying on survivor accounts, alleged that at least 100 people were killed, with some estimates placing the toll as high as 200, including women and children.
Authorities have yet to issue a detailed casualty breakdown, as calls for clarity and accountability continue to mount following the incident.