President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday ordered the security chiefs to scale up their efforts in order to make Nigeria safe and secure for the citizens.

The President gave the directive when he presided over a meeting with the security chiefs inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting which started at about 11:30 am and lasted for more than two and half hours.

He disclosed that the meeting reviewed the security situation across the country with a mandate from the President that security should be beefed up.

General Olonisakin said the security chiefs also briefed President Buhari on the progress made so far in the military operations in some troubled states, especially in Benue, Zamfara, and Taraba.

“[The President] directed that we continue to step up our game to ensure that the nation is safe and people go about their activities in a very safe environment,” he said.

The meeting is President Buhari’s first major assignment since he returned to the country on Saturday after a 10-day working vacation in London.

It had in attendance the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, as well as the Chiefs of Air and Naval Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris; Acting Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Matthew Seiyefa, and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar, were also present.

Others in attendance were the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha; and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, among others.

It was Mr Seiyefa’s first meeting with the President since he took over from former DSS DG, Mr Lawal Daura.