The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has met with President Bola Tinubu to brief him on the country’s security situation following recent abductions and attacks, especially in the northern region of the country.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the meeting in a post on Saturday, noting that Ajayi met with the President at the Presidential Villa on Friday night.
Photos released showed the DSS Chief in the President’s office. Although no further details of the briefing’s outcome were provided, officials said it focused on the current security situation.
“The Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Mr Tosin Adeola Ajayi, briefed President Bola Tinubu on the security situation on Friday night,” Onanuga wrote.
The Federal Government has established a joint task force involving all security agencies to comb the northern region for abducted schoolchildren.
Tinubu had earlier ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State to coordinate rescue efforts.
United States President Donald Trump has offered assistance to Nigeria in addressing the resurgence of school abductions.
The offer followed a meeting in Washington between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Their discussion came after the US designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and Trump threatened consequences over the alleged persecution of Christians.
Wave Of Abductions
Public pressure on the Presidency has intensified following a series of school attacks.
Gunmen invaded St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Niger State, at about 2:00 a.m. on Friday and abducted hundreds of people.
Wasiu Abiodun, Police Public Relations Officer in Niger State, confirmed the attack and said security agents were combing the surrounding forests for the victims.
Niger State Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Elleman, said the Command had intensified its manhunt to ensure safe rescue. He urged residents to remain calm and support security operations.
Elleman also said the incident would be investigated and that action would follow against the school management for holding classes despite a state directive to shut schools.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, Niger State chapter, announced an updated figure after a verification exercise. CAN Chairman, Most Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, said 315 persons were abducted, including 303 students and 12 teachers.
Witnesses reported that the attackers arrived on more than 60 motorcycles and shot the school’s gatekeeper.
Before the Niger incident, gunmen abducted 25 schoolgirls during an attack in Maga town, Kebbi State.
Similarly, 38 people were abducted and two killed when gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, on Tuesday, with the attackers demanding a ₦100 million ransom per victim.
The Federal Government has ordered the closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges due to worsening insecurity.
Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, approved the shutdown following “recent security challenges” and the need to prevent further breaches.
Several states have also closed schools as threats escalate.
The wave of school abductions has heightened fears across northern communities, prompting demands for urgent, coordinated action.
Tension triggered a false report in Nasarawa State on Friday.
The Police Command dismissed claims that two pupils were abducted from St Peter’s Academy, Rukubi, describing the information as “false and not reflective of the true state of affairs”.
The security crisis has led to the cancellation of planned trips to Johannesburg and Angola by President Tinubu to focus on coordinating national security efforts.
