By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

President Bola Tinubu is currently holding a security meeting with service chiefs, intelligence heads, and the Inspector-General of Police at the State House, Abuja.

The meeting, which began at about 2:00 pm on Monday, is the first item on the President’s agenda since his return to Abuja from Bayelsa State on Friday.

The emergency session comes amid heightened security concerns following the United States’ authorisation of non-emergency embassy staff to leave Abuja and a controversial military airstrike in Borno State that killed over 100 civilians.

Those in attendance at the ongoing meeting include the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Staff, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is also attending the closed-door session at the Presidential Villa.

On April 8, 2026, the US State Department authorised the voluntary departure of non-emergency government employees and family members from the US Embassy in Abuja, citing a “deteriorating security situation.”

The decision placed 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states under a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” designation, the highest risk category, adding Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba to the list.

The US highlighted threats from Islamist insurgents in the Northeast, criminal gangs in the Northwest, and ongoing violence in parts of southern and southeastern Nigeria, including oil-producing regions.

The embassy said visa appointments in Abuja had been suspended, though the Lagos consulate continues to provide routine and emergency services.

The Federal Government said the travel alert was guided by US internal protocols and did not reflect the overall security situation across Nigeria.

“While we acknowledge isolated security challenges in some areas, there is no general breakdown of law and order, and the vast majority of the country remains stable,” Minister Mohammed Idris stated.

The security meeting also comes hours after a Nigerian Air Force strike targeting Boko Haram terrorists hit Jilli Market along the Borno-Yobe border on Saturday, April 11, 2026, killing over 100 civilians, including children, and injuring many others.

Amnesty International cited survivors as saying at least 100 people were killed in the airstrike, with some reports putting the death toll as high as 200.

The Air Force acknowledged conducting “precision mop-up airstrikes on identified terrorist locations” in the Jilli axis of Borno State but made no reference to hitting a civilian market.

However, the Presidency defended the operation.

Speaking with Bloomberg earlier on Monday, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said, “The market was a legitimate military target because it has been turned into a logistics and trading hub by Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.”

Amnesty International condemned the strike, calling for an independent investigation and describing it as evidence of “the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect.”

Military air raids have killed at least 500 civilians since 2017, according to multiple reports, with failures in intelligence gathering and coordination between ground forces and air assets cited as contributing factors.

Nigeria is battling multiple security threats across its six geopolitical zones, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgency in the Northeast, banditry and kidnapping in the Northwest and North-Central regions, and separatist violence in the Southeast.

Major attacks in 2026 include the February 3 massacre in Woro, Kwara State, where over 100 people were killed and 176 kidnapped, and multiple mass abductions across northern states.

Amnesty International reported that at least 1,100 people were abducted between January and April 2026, though the Police disputed the figure as unverified.

A popular Islamic scholar, Dr Abdulmuddalib Muhammad Auwal has joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Zamfara State and declared for Governorship ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Dr Auwal who formally registered with ADC on Sunday at the state APC Secretariat was supported by the Chairman ADC Tudun Wada Ward.

He was received and welcome by ADC leaders and stakeholders in Tudun Wada Ward and Gusau LGA and large crowd of the party members.

Dr Auwal said he joined ADC because of good ideologies and manifestos of the party
“I have personal desire to contribute to ensure good governance tackling security challenges, addressing poverty and vulnerability in Zamfara.
“I have blueprints to serve as framework, and strategic plans on Education, Health, insecurity, Poverty reduction, women and youths empowerment.
“The ADC’s ideology aligns with my visions to rescue Zamfara from poor governance,” he said.

According to him, “if we are given the mandate, we would change the Zamfara fortune to the promised land through the ADC”.

He described injustice and poor governance as the yardsticks of the increase of security challenges in Zamfara

One of the main reasons for the ongoing escalation of the issues with insecurities challenges destroying Zamfara state and other places is as results of neglect, injustice and political aspirations that have eaten deeply around some elites in the society.

We are aware that injustice and poor governance by the certain group of leaders entrusted with governance are becoming too burden and a yardstick of the increase of the insecurity challenges, particularly in Zamfara state that have become a feasting ground of banditry.

“Poverty and injustice are the main reasons for the ongoing security challenges in Zamfara.”

“Also the lingering insecurity challenges in Zamfara is due to o poor governance.

“In Zamfara we have various potentialities to address future the challenges of insecurity and poverty,” he explained.

He further said, “We came up with good blueprints to ensure sustainable security of our dear state through various policies and programs to tackle poverty, unemployment, and lack of education, particularly among youths”

“We are going to create more job opportunities, through agriculture and economic entrepreneurship development for our teeming to have better alternatives than criminal activities.

“You know, Zamfara is blessed with immense agricultural potentials, infact our motto is “Farming is Our Pride”, but due to lack of good governance, we failed to develop such potentials in to reality for the development of our dear state.

He noted that Zamfara, we have comparative advantages in agriculture due to a large fertile land but not being utilize to address youths unemployment, poverty among our people especially those affected by the insecurity.

“On security sector, I will come up with good strategies to tackle insecurity affecting our communities.

“I have passion about agriculture, if we are voted I will initiate various policies and programs to transform irrigation farming in the state to enhance food security in the state.

“In each of the 14 LGAs in the state, I will build a dam for our teeming population to go in to food and cash crops production.

“One of my blueprints is addressing youth unemployment through establishment of companies by fostering entrepreneurship development and vocational training for our teeming unemployed youths.

“This is to change mindsets of our people, infact we want to Zamfara people to become job providers not job seekers- Scholar explained.
In their seperate remarks, the ADC leaders in Tudun Wada Ward and Gusau LGA expressed gratitude for the Governorship aspirant for joining the party.
They assured him that the party would provide an enabling environment for him and his teeming supporters

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, including the Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin, former governorship candidate Salihu Sagir Takai, and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Honourable Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, have reportedly thrown their weight behind Kabiru Alhassan Rurum as one of the leading contenders for the position of deputy governor of Kano State.

The endorsement followed a stakeholders’ meeting held on Sunday night, where three nominees were selected to fill the vacant deputy governorship seat following the resignation of Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo.

The meeting was convened in line with a directive reportedly issued by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, asking party stakeholders to forward three names for consideration.

The stakeholders, however, clarified that contrary to reports in circulation, some of the information about the meeting had been “fabricated,” insisting that the directive was strictly adhered to.

They said the governor directed that “three names be proposed and submitted to him, from which one may be considered as the next Deputy Governor.”

The three nominees are Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly and member of the House of Representatives; Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, former Secretary to the State Government and Managing Director of the Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority; and Murtala Sule Garo, former local government chairman and commissioner.

Rurum’s nomination was moved by the immediate past APC state secretary, Ibrahim Zakari Sarina, and seconded by Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Mariya Mahmud Bunkure.

For Bichi, the motion was moved by the former APC chairman in the state, Abdullahi Abbas, and seconded by the deputy state chairman, Salisu Maje Ahmad Gwangwazo.

Garo was nominated by Alhassan Ado Doguwa and seconded by Labaran Abdul Madari.

During the meeting, Takai and former Secretary to the State Government, Usman Alhaji, argued that Kano South should be given consideration for the position, saying the zone has been excluded from both the governorship and deputy governorship slots since 1992.

They noted that Kano South, with 16 local government areas and over seven million population, “deserves consideration.”

The stakeholders also witnessed strong political alignments, with Rurum reportedly enjoying the backing of top figures including Barau Jibrin, Mariya Mahmud Bunkure, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, Ibrahim Zakari Sarina, Sha’aban Sharada, Bashir Garba Lado, Yahuza Ado Yan Kaba, and other prominent stakeholders.

Similarly, Murtala Garo was said to have the support of Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Abubakar Bichi, Sani Bala, Hamisu Chidari, Abdullahi M. Gwarzo, Abdullahi Rogo, Yusuf Badau, Abdulsalam Zaura, and others.

The stakeholders said the list of nominees has been forwarded and now awaits the final decision of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.