President Bola Tinubu met late Friday night with the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Adeola Ajayi, as the Federal Government steps up efforts to tackle the growing wave of student abductions across the country.

The meeting, held at the Presidential Villa, centred on urgent security operations and fresh strategies to find and rescue hundreds of kidnapped schoolchildren.

Photographs released after the meeting showed the DSS boss in the President’s office, where he reportedly gave a comprehensive briefing on the nation’s security situation.

Although no official statement followed, a senior government official familiar with the discussion confirmed that the talks focused on coordinated plans to track the kidnappers and secure the release of the victims.

According to the official, the Federal Government is finalising arrangements for a new joint task force that will draw personnel from the military, police, DSS, and other security outfits.

The aim is to strengthen intelligence gathering, boost surveillance, and improve rapid-response operations in states facing frequent attacks.

The move comes as insecurity worsens in the North-West and North-Central regions.

On Monday, armed men stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, abducting at least 26 students in an early-morning attack. The assailants also killed two residents during the raid.

Just days later, another devastating incident occurred in Niger State, where gunmen invaded St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.

More than 303 children and 12 teachers were taken away in what has become one of the largest mass abductions this year.

In a separate attack, worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, were ambushed during a service. Two people were killed and 38 others kidnapped.

Faced with the escalating crisis, President Tinubu on Thursday directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State and remain there until significant progress is made in the search for the missing girls.

The President has also been receiving round-the-clock security updates from service chiefs and intelligence agencies.

A presidency insider said the meeting with the DSS DG marks the beginning of an intensified rescue mission, adding that the planned joint task force will operate across multiple states simultaneously.

The official said the government is determined to avoid delays and ensure that “the window to rescue the children alive is not wasted.”

When contacted for confirmation on the task-force arrangement, the President’s media adviser simply stated that “it is possible,” declining to provide additional details.

As anxiety grows among families of the abducted students, security formations in the affected states have increased patrols, surveillance, and community engagements.

Local authorities have also been instructed to support the operations with intelligence and logistical assistance.

In a related development,  Recall that Vice President Kashim Shettima recently visited Kebbi State to meet with community leaders and relatives of the abducted girls, assuring them that the Federal Government would not relent until the children are safely returned.