Chief of Defence Staff meets with service chiefs, heads of security forces

Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin, on Tuesday met with service chiefs and Heads of Security and Intelligence Agencies in the county to deliberate on security challenges bedevilling the country.

The CDS solicited the support of Nigerians for the Armed Forces and other security agencies in tackling insecurity in country.

The meeting which took place at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, is aimed at re-strategising and enhancing the existing synergy among all federal security forces.

Those in attendance at the meeting included the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai; Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas; Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu. Also in attendance were the Director-General Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; Director-General, Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NOA), Ahmed Abubakar; Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) Air Vice Marshall Muhammed Usman and the Commandant General, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Mohammadu.

The meeting was said to have deliberated on developing and mapping out new strategies that would promptly address the untoward security situation arising from banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling as well as other sundry criminal activities particularly in the North-West, North-East and North-Central regions.

The Coordinator, Defence Media operations Major General John Enenche, said in a statement:

‘The Service Chiefs and Heads of Security Agencies noted that essential consultations have been made with relevant stakeholders across the country with a view to collaborating with the military and security agencies to promptly address the security challenges and bring respite to the regions.

‘The CDS, who pointed out that security is everyone’s business, solicited the support and cooperation of all well-meaning Nigerians for the Armed Forces and security agencies in tackling the security challenges in Nigeria in order to speedily restore sanity to the troubled regions.’