The recent appointment of new Directors-General for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Department of State Services (DSS) marks a new beginning in Nigeria’s efforts to tackle its security challenges. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the appointments following the resignation of Ahmed Abubakar and Yusuf Bichi. The new appointees, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed and Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, are expected to reposition the agencies for better results.
The country faces numerous security challenges, including insurgency and banditry in the North-west and North-east, farmers/herders’ clashes in the North-central, oil theft in the South-south, and kidnapping and armed robbery in the South-west. The new intelligence chiefs must deploy their experience and manpower to address these issues.
The security situation in the South-east is particularly complex, with self-determination groups and unknown gunmen causing havoc. The new spy chiefs will play a crucial role in bringing the situation under control.
Kidnapping has become a nationwide problem, despite efforts to register sim cards and biometric data. The intelligence chiefs must understand the task before them and work assiduously to tackle these challenges.
The outgoing directors-general were thanked for their services, and the new appointees are expected to bring their experience to bear in collaboration with sister agencies and the Office of the National Security Adviser. The country looks forward to seeing improvements in its security situation under the new leadership.
