NSA Monguno Absent As Buhari Presides Over Security Meeting

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, was conspicuously missing at a security meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

The meeting which held at the State House, had in attendance the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas, as well as the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu.

The reason for Monguno’s absence at the security meeting was unknown as at press time, but his absence has been linked to a leaked memo which suggested a rift between him and President Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.

The president is believed to have summoned the meeting over rising security challenges in the country.

Buhari has been under pressure to sack the security chiefs, but his senior media assistant, Garba Shahu, had said: “Removal or sack of service chiefs does not stop all of what we are experiencing.

“Whether we like it or not, we are in a war situation,” said Shehu, adding that, “The President and the Commander-In-Chief is seeing things that others cannot see. This is why he deserves the benefit of the doubt.”