By Obinna Uballa
President Bola Tinubu on Monday held a closed-door meeting with six governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress at the State House, Abuja.
The governors arrived at the President’s office around 4:00pm and met with him for less than an hour. However, none of the state executives addressed the press after the discussions, effectively shunning journalists waiting for a briefing.
The New Diplomat could not immediately ascertain the agenda of the meeting.
Those in attendance included the governors of Jigawa, Umar Namadi; Edo, Monday Okpebholo; Ekiti, Biodun Oyebanji; Kogi, Usman Ododo; Sokoto, Aliyu Sokoto; and Kebbi, Nasir Idris.
The meeting comes amid heightened security concerns nationwide, following a series of abductions across the North-West and North-Central and the recent rescue of kidnapped schoolchildren and worshippers.
Several of the states represented – Kebbi, Sokoto and Kogi – have recorded repeated banditry and kidnap-for-ransom incidents in recent months, prompting closer collaboration between federal and state authorities on intelligence sharing, policing operations and rural security.
On November 26, Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency, directing the military, police and intelligence agencies to accelerate recruitment and deploy thousands of additional personnel. He also instructed security operatives to prioritise the protection of schools, farms and places of worship, while urging governors to strengthen community-based early-warning systems.
Monday’s engagement also follows last week’s change of Defence Minister and renewed outreach to international partners for counter-terrorism support.
When approached by State House correspondents after the meeting, all six governors declined to comment.
