Tinubu Holds Private Talks With Sierra Leonean President, Julius Bio in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu and Sierra Leonean President Julius Bio held a private meeting on Friday night at the State House in Abuja. Bio arrived at the Villa at 9:08 pm, greeted by a full row of presidential bagpipers from the Brigade of Guards, before being escorted into Tinubu’s office for the closed‑door talks. The meeting comes four months after Bio took over as chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, succeeding Tinubu, who served in the role for two years. Although the details of the discussion were not made public, sources say it likely focused on regional and ECOWAS-related matters. The talks were held amid growing international attention on Nigeria’s handling of terrorism, following US President Donald Trump’s warning of potential military action over alleged mass killings of Christians—a claim Tinubu has denied, calling it inaccurate. Earlier this week, ECOWAS dismissed the genocide allegations as “false narratives designed to inflame tensions,” noting that extremist groups in the Sahel and West Africa target civilians of all faiths to destabilize communities and undermine social cohesion. This visit marks Bio’s first official trip to Nigeria since assuming the ECOWAS chairmanship.
