President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of a substantive Director General for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
The new Director General is Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, a retired career Foreign Service officer.
The appointment which takes immediate effect was announced in a statement by the media aide to the president, Femi Adesina, and made available to The Next Edition.
Until his appointment, Abubakar served as Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSAP) on Foreign Affairs/International Relations.
Abubakar had extensive experience working with the United Nations in peace support operations, mediation process, preventive diplomacy and good offices, as well as the promotion of good governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights.
He also briefly served as Senior Adviser at the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), with headquarters in Ndjamena, Chad, before his appointment as SSAP.
Abubakar holds a B.A degree in French Language and Literature, and an M.A degree in Francophone Maghrebian Literature, both from Bayero University, Kano.
He is also fluent in English and Arabic.
Abubakar replaces Ambassador Ayo Oke who was fired by President Muhammadu Buhari following alleged involvement in a financial scam.
About N13 billion was found stashed away in a flat at Osborne Tower, Ikoyi, Lagos, and it was said to have been kept there by the NIA under his watch.
