PHOTO NEWS: Tinubu receives Chad President Déby at Aso Rock

President Bola Tinubu has received Chad’s President, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday for an official visit.

President Déby, who arrived at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa at 2:00 pm, is making his first official trip to Nigeria since President Tinubu attended his inauguration in N’Djamena, Chad’s capital, on May 23, 2024.

Déby, 42, assumed leadership of Chad following the death of his father, longtime President Idriss Déby Itno, who was killed by rebels on April 20, 2021, while commanding troops during the Northern Chad offensive. He was immediately proclaimed head of a Transitional Military Council and initially promised a transition to civilian rule within 18 months.

He later extended his tenure, being sworn in as transitional president in October 2022, before winning the presidential election in May 2024. In December 2024, Chad’s National Transitional Council awarded him the rank of Marshal, the country’s highest military honor, making him only the second person to hold the title after his father.

Thursday’s meeting comes just a week after President Tinubu hosted Prime Minister Terrance Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis on March 26, 2026, making Déby the second foreign leader received by the Nigerian president within the week.

Details of the discussions were not immediately disclosed. However, sources close to the Presidency indicated that talks likely focused on regional security, particularly the fight against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin, which spans Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. Chad has been a key partner in Nigeria’s efforts against Boko Haram and Islamic State-affiliated groups operating in the region.