President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday presided over a National Security Council meeting at the Council Chamber within the Aso villa in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The meeting comes two weeks after a similar meeting held against the backdrop of the attack on Kuje Correctional facility.
Those in attendance at the meeting today include – Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd); Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao.
Also in attendance were the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman; the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abu, among other top security chiefs.
Thursday’s security council meeting comes a few hours after President Buhari condemned the murder of a Catholic priest, Reverend Father John Cheitnum of the Kafanchan Catholic Diocese.
Father Cheitnum was killed four days after he was seized by gunmen in Kaduna State.
“I am deeply disturbed by the murder of this revered religious figure by outlaws who seem to be bent on creating chaos and disorder in the country,” Buhari said in a statement on Wednesday by his spokesman Garba Shehu in Abuja.
“The persistent attack on innocent people, including religious figures, by gunmen is a matter of grave concern for this administration because security is one of the major issues of our campaign promises.”
Bandits have carried out renewed attacks in recent times in parts of Kaduna and some other states where clergymen, especially Catholic priests have been targets.
