President Bola Tinubu on Thursday held a nearly two-hour security meeting with service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police at the Presidential Villa in Abuja amid growing security concerns across the country.

The meeting marked the first formal engagement between the President and the new Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, who recently assumed office.

Security chiefs arrived at the Presidential Villa without their usual official vehicles, making identification difficult, but were later recognised as they departed the forecourt at about 5:10 p.m. after the closed-door discussions with the President.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of intensified attacks on security formations, particularly in the North-East, where insurgents linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have stepped up assaults on military positions.

Within the past week, at least three commanding officers in charge of forward operating bases were reportedly killed following coordinated attacks on security personnel. Some of the incidents occurred in Ngoshe and other communities including Konduga, Marte, Jakana and Mainok in Borno State.

The wave of attacks had earlier drawn strong reactions from President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, who vowed that the Federal Government would deploy overwhelming force to defeat insurgency.

Speaking during an Iftar dinner with service chiefs on March 6, the President reassured the military of his administration’s determination to end terrorism.

“Nigeria will defeat terrorism despite these attacks. We will not bow to insurgents,” Tinubu said.

Similarly, the Vice President, in a statement by his spokesman Stanley Nkwocha, reaffirmed the government’s resolve to crush insurgents and restore lasting peace.

Although details of Thursday’s meeting were not immediately made public, it was gathered that discussions likely focused on the recent spike in attacks on security personnel, protection of vulnerable communities in the North-East and improved coordination among security agencies.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu also summoned the Director-General of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Kuku, to the Presidential Villa for the second time in one week.

The FAAN chief was seen entering the Villa while the security meeting was still in progress on Thursday afternoon.

Her visit comes days after the President ordered the suspension of the cashless payment system at airport toll gates nationwide following traffic gridlock that caused many passengers to miss flights.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had earlier explained that the directive was issued after complaints about congestion at major airports in Lagos and Abuja.

According to him, the President suspended the system out of concern for travellers who were losing flights due to delays at the toll gates.

Tinubu subsequently directed the ministry to work with private sector partners to develop a more efficient payment system that would eliminate cash transactions without causing traffic congestion.

Thursday’s meeting with the FAAN boss is believed to be connected to efforts to implement a hybrid payment system allowing both cash payments and prepaid cards while a permanent solution is developed.

As of the time of filing this report, the FAAN Director-General was still in the President’s office.