The Federal Government has described the security report from the North East as worrisome after a critical assessment of the situation there.
This is even as President Muhammadu Buhari has directed security chiefs in the country to stop up their game to curtail the situation.
The president gave the directive at the two and half hour meeting he had with heads of the security agencies in at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At least 19 people were killed when terrorists attacked a village in North east Nigeria in the early hours of Sunday, Reuters had reported.
The attack occurred in the village of Mailari in the Guzamala region of Borno state at around 2:00a.m of Sunday, August 19, 2018. Reuters quoted a survivor, Umar, as saying he had counted 19 dead people, including his younger brother.
An aid worker at a camp who received some survivors, and who declined to be identified, put the death toll at 63, the story says.
The meeting, which started around 11.30a.m and ended at 2:00p.m in the State House is President Buhari’s first major assignment in the Presidential villa since he returned to the country last Saturday after a 10-day working vacation in London, United Kingdom.
Speaking to State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting, Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Alli, said the meeting was a normal routine security briefing with Mr. President and an update of August 2 meeting before his departure for London.
On the decision of the meeting, the minister said, “The decision that has been taken is that we have seen that there is a lot of improvements in the security situation in the country more especially in Zamfara and Benue states and in the Niger Delta.
“In the North East, we are having worrisome report. We have looked into it critically and we have taken absolute decision,” he did not however revealed what the absolute decision was.
Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, on his part, said President Buhari asked security agencies to up their games to ensure that the nation is safe and people go about their daily activities in a very safe manner.
Olonisakin’s words, “We just had two and half hours meeting with the President and Commander in Chief. We reviewed the security situation across the country in all the geopolitical zones and of course we made all our comments, especially the new operations in Benue, Zamfara, Taraba Operation WHIRL STROKE and Operation SARADAJI.
“We gave the extent of successes in these operations and we are to continue in this line of action in these operations.
“All the operations were reviewed and all the issues concerning the operations were dealt with. And he directed that we should continue to step up our game to ensure that the nation is safe and people go about their daily activities in a very safe manner.”
Others in attendance were Babagana Monguno, National Security Adviser; Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Abubakar Sadique; Ahmed Abubakar, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ibrahim Idris, Inspector General of Police and the acting Director General of Department for State Services (DSS), Matthew Seiyefa.
Seiyefa was appointed acting DG DSS of August 7, after Lawal Daura was sacked by the acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.
Meanwhile, President Buhari left the Presidential Villa for his hometown, Daura in Katsina State for the Eid-el-Kabir Sallah celebrations.
His convoy left the forecourt of the State House, Abuja around 3.06 p.m and he was seen off by the NSA, the SGF, the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, among others.
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