Tinubu Appoints Mohammed New NIA DG, Ajayi As DSS Boss

President Bola Tinubu has appointed new Directors-General for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Department of State Services (DSS).

In a statement on Monday, presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said Tinubu appointed Mohammed Mohammed as the new NIA boss while Adeola Ajayi has been appointed to lead the secret police.

Ngelale said the fresh appointments followed the resignations of Ahmed Rufai of the NIA and Yusuf Bichi of the DSS.

Tinubu had retained Bichi and Rufai in June 2023 when he fired all service chiefs and heads of security agencies.

The new NIA boss Mohammed has had an illustrious career in the foreign service since joining the NIA in 1995.

He had served in various roles, culminating in his promotion to the rank of Director and his subsequent appointment as the head of the Nigerian mission to Libya.

The 1990 graduate of Bayero University, Kano, had served in North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, and at the State House, Abuja.

Before his new appointment as DSS DG Ajayi rose through the ranks to attain the post of Assistant Director-General of the Service.

He had, at various times, served as State Director in Bauchi, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Kogi.

“President Tinubu expects that the new security chiefs will work assiduously to reposition the two intelligence agencies for better results and charges them to bring their experience to bear in tackling the security challenges bedevilling the country through enhanced collaboration with sister agencies and in surgical alignment with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

“The President thanks the outgoing Directors-General of the two pivotal intelligence agencies for their services to the nation while wishing them success in their future endeavours,” Ngelale said.