DSS Boss Meets Tinubu Amid Rising Security Threats

The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to brief him on the country’s worsening security situation following a spate of abductions and attacks, particularly in northern Nigeria.

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 on Friday night.

“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.

Although details of the briefing were not made public, officials said discussions centered on the recent wave of kidnappings of schoolchildren and coordinated security responses.

The Federal Government has reportedly established a joint task force involving all security agencies to intensify search operations for abducted schoolchildren across the northern region.

President Tinubu had earlier directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State to oversee rescue efforts.

Meanwhile, international attention is mounting over the situation. United States President Donald Trump has offered assistance to Nigeria in tackling the resurgence of school abductions. The offer followed a meeting in Washington between U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The development comes shortly after the U.S. designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and Trump threatened consequences over the alleged persecution of Christians.

Public outrage has grown in Nigeria following multiple attacks on schools in recent weeks. On Friday, gunmen invaded St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Niger State, abducting hundreds of people.

Police spokesperson in the state, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the attack, saying security personnel were combing surrounding forests for the victims.

The Niger State Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Elleman, said the Command had intensified its manhunt to ensure the victims’ safe rescue. He urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies.

Elleman added that the incident would be thoroughly investigated, warning that the school management could face sanctions for operating despite a state directive ordering temporary closure of schools.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, put the number of abducted persons at 315 after a verification exercise, including 303 students and 12 teachers.

Witnesses said the attackers, who arrived on more than 60 motorcycles, shot the school’s gatekeeper before whisking away their captives.

The Niger abduction came days after 25 schoolgirls were seized in Maga town, Kebbi State, and 38 worshippers were abducted from the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, where two people were also killed. The kidnappers reportedly demanded ₦100 million ransom per victim.

Amid the escalating crisis, the Federal Government has ordered the closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges over security concerns. Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, approved the move “following recent security challenges and the need to prevent further breaches.”

Several state governments have also followed suit, shutting down schools in vulnerable areas.

Tension spread further on Friday after a false report circulated in Nasarawa State, claiming two pupils had been abducted from St Peter’s Academy, Rukubi. The Police later dismissed the report as “false and not reflective of the true state of affairs.”