Tinubu Meets Security Chiefs After Borno Airstrike Fallout

On April 8, 2026, President Bola Tinubu held a security meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja with key military and intelligence leaders, including the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu. This meeting was prompted by a deadly airstrike conducted by the Nigerian Air Force in Borno State, which reportedly killed 100 civilians, including children, during an operation targeting Boko Haram militants at Jilli Market.

Amnesty International condemned the strike, calling for an independent investigation, and reported that the death toll could be as high as 200. The U.S.

State Department authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency government employees and their families from Abuja, citing a deteriorating security situation. The advisory placed 23 of Nigeria's 36 states at Level 4, indicating a "Do Not Travel" warning due to threats from Islamist insurgents and criminal gangs.

The Nigerian military acknowledged the airstrike but did not refer to civilian casualties, while President Tinubu defended the operation as targeting a legitimate military objective.