B/Haram: Buhari holds emergency meeting with service chiefs

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday held an emergency meeting with the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police over the killing of soldiers by Boko Haram.

The meeting held behind closed doors at the State House Villa, Abuja started around 9:am and lasted till around 11:am, Daily Trust gathered after the meeting.

Scores of soldiers were killed days ago by the Boko Haram in Metele village of Borno State. It was gathered that the meeting was in connection with the resurgence of the Boko Haram attacks.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadiq, Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, IGP Ibrahim Idris and the Director General of the Department of State Service, Yusuf Magaji Bichi attended the meeting.

The meeting was held days after the President dispatched the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan- Ali to Chad. Dan- Ali was to meet with the Chadian President, Idriss Deby over the resurgence of the Boko Haram attacks

Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, Bashir Ahmed confirmed the meeting on his Twitter handle.

He said: “All the Service Chiefs, IG of Police and DG of DSS were at the State House this morning (yesterday). As President @MBuhari said yesterday (Saturday), in the coming days, he will be engaging the Military and Intelligence Chiefs in extensive discussions on the next steps we shall be taking.”

Our correspondent reports that there was no official statement from the Media Office of the President on the meeting as at the time this story was filed last night.

The President had on Saturday via a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said immediate measures were being taken to ensure that the loopholes which led to the fatalities are blocked once and for all.