President Bola Tinubu on Sunday convened an extended security meeting with heads of defence and intelligence agencies to review ongoing operations and stabilise areas affected by recent abductions. In a post on his verified X handle, the President said the meeting, held at the State House, included the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services.

He said the session focused on analysing current field reports and issuing directives to ensure rapid and coordinated action across security formations.

“I am currently in an extended security meeting with heads of our defence and intelligence apparatus, including the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Inspector-General of Police, and Director-General of the DSS, at the State House.

“We are reviewing the latest reports and taking decisive actions to stabilise the affected areas and protect our citizens. I am receiving continuous briefings and have directed our security services to move with speed, precision, and absolute resolve.

“As President, I am fully committed to the security of all Nigerians. Those who threaten the peace and security of our nation will face the full weight of the law. Nigeria will prevail,” he wrote.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the Minister of Information, Mr. Mohammed Idris, and other senior media aides attended the meeting.

The meeting followed two major school attacks in Kebbi and Niger states. On 17 November, gunmen stormed the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. They killed the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, who tried to protect the students, and abducted several schoolgirls. The attackers reportedly operated without resistance, throwing the region into deep fear and mourning.

While the nation was still reeling from the Kebbi attack, armed men struck again in Niger State. On Friday, gunmen invaded St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, arriving on more than 60 motorcycles and accompanied by a van. They shot the school’s gatekeeper, leaving him severely injured, before abducting 315 pupils from the Catholic-owned institution. According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), 50 of the abducted children later escaped.

CAN Chairman in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, said the pupils escaped between Friday and Saturday and reunited with their parents. His spokesman, Mr. Daniel Atori, confirmed the details in a statement.

The Niger State Police Command said its tactical units, alongside the military, had been deployed to search for the remaining abducted pupils. It said security agencies were “combing the forests with a view to rescue the abducted students”.

The recent attacks triggered national alarm, with security forces placed on high alert. In a separate incident in western Nigeria last Tuesday, armed men killed two people during a church service that was being streamed online, and dozens of worshippers were believed to have been abducted. Gunmen who kidnapped 38 worshippers from a church in Kwara State on the same day have since demanded a ransom of ₦100 million per victim.