“In the North East we are having worrisome report, we have looked into it critically and we have taken absolute decision.”

• Buhari orders security chiefs to step up action

Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Federal Government has  described the security report from the North East as worrisome, after reviewing the situation critically.

Consequently, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed security chiefs in the country to step up action to curtailed the situation.

READ ALSO: Buhari, security chiefs in secret meeting

He gave the directive at the two and half hours meeting he had with the heads of the security agencies  in the country at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.

At least, 19 people were killed when terrorists attacked a village in northeast in the early hours of Sunday.

The attack occurred in the village of Mailari in the Guzamala region of Borno state, at around 2:00 a.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 11:3 0a.m. and ended at 2:00 p.m. in the State House is President Buhari’s first major assignment in the Presidential Villa  since he return 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 to London for his vacation.

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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 improvement 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, reveal what the absolute decision was.

Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, on his part said President Buhari has tasked security agencies to up their game to ensure that the country is safe and people go about their daily activities unhindered.

He said: “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 SHARAN DAJI.

READ ALSO: Military raids bandits camps in Zamfara, kills two

“We gave the extent of successes in these operations and we are to continue in this line of action in the operations.”