President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ahmed Rufai Abubakar as the substantive Director General for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) with “immediate effect”.

The new Director General is a retired career Foreign Service officer, who untill his appointment served as Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSAP) on Foreign Affairs/International Relations.

The statement added that “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.”