President Bola Tinubu convened an emergency security meeting on Monday afternoon at the State House in Abuja with the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, the three service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, and heads of intelligence agencies. The session, held on the first floor of the presidential office, brought together key figures including Army Chief Lt. Gen Waidi Shaibu, Navy Chief Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, Air Force Chief Air Marshal Sunday Anele, DSS Director-General Oluwatosin Ajayi, NIA Director-General Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, and National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The meeting followed recent attacks on military formations in Borno State and a controversial Nigerian Air Force airstrike in Yobe State on Saturday that reportedly killed over 100 civilians at Jilli Market near the Borno-Yobe border. The Air Force confirmed "precision mop-up airstrikes on identified terrorist locations" in the Jilli axis but did not acknowledge civilian casualties or confirm the market was targeted. The Presidency, through Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Tope Ajayi, defended the strike, stating the location had been compromised and turned into a logistics hub by Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters, making it a "legitimate military target." The meeting also occurred after the US Department of State issued a travel advisory on April 8, authorising voluntary departure of non-emergency personnel from its Abuja embassy and classifying 23 Nigerian states under "Level 4: Do Not Travel." The advisory cited threats from insurgency, banditry and regional violence. The Federal Government dismissed the advisory as routine, with Information Minister Mohammed Idris stating that while isolated incidents occur, there is no general breakdown of law and order.
Bola Tinubu's emergency meeting with top security officials, triggered by a deadly airstrike that killed over 100 civilians, exposes the widening gap between military operations and civilian safety. The government's insistence that Jilli Market was a "legitimate military target" because of alleged insurgent presence does not erase the human cost of a strike on a civilian space, especially when the Air Force has not confirmed whether markets were in the target zone. The optics of defending an operation with such a high reported death toll, while failing to provide independent verification, undermines public trust.
The context is layered: Nigeria faces real and evolving threats, from Boko Haram and ISWAP in the northeast to banditry in the northwest and unrest in the southeast. Yet the US travel advisory, which now includes previously stable states like Kwara and Niger, signals a loss of international confidence. The government's dismissal of the advisory as mere "routine protocol" rings hollow when 23 states are under the highest risk classification. Security agencies are under pressure, but operating without transparency only deepens public skepticism.
Ordinary Nigerians, especially in border communities like Jilli, bear the brunt of both insurgent violence and state military responses. Farmers, traders and displaced families in the northeast now live under dual threats—armed groups and the very forces meant to protect them. When airstrikes blur the line between combatant and civilian spaces, fear spreads beyond conflict zones.
This incident fits a broader pattern: military operations frequently precede public explanation, if any. Over the years, similar strikes have drawn outcry, yet accountability mechanisms remain opaque. The cycle repeats—action, denial, deflection—with little change in strategy or communication.
