Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd), has revealed details of the meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
Although the Chief of Defence Staff was absent, the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as the Inspector General of Police attended the meeting.
Also in attendance were the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr Boss Mustapha; and the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd).
In a statement, Dan-Ali said the National Security Council meeting began with the general overview of the security situation in the country, as it relates to the conduct of the forthcoming 2019 general elections.
He said it recommended the deployment of security agencies to the states, to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conduct the elections peacefully.
Dan-Ali expressed hope that the deployment of security personnel, would further douse the tension created by the outcome of the political parties’ primaries and “some desperate persons” to sabotage the electoral process.
The Minister pointed out that another area of security concern discussed at the meeting was post-election violence, to prevent “desperate politicians” from whipping up ethno-religious sentiments to create a security situation in the country.
He said the Council discussed the proliferation and stockpiling of weapons by some disgruntled elements and called on all security agencies to ensure that the 2019 general elections were hitch free.
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