Fresh facts emerged on Tuesday on the actual reasons President Bola Tinubu on Monday, replaced Ahmed Rufai, former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Yusuf Bichi, Director General of the Department of State Security Service (DSS).
The President approved their replacement on Monday, appointing Mohamed Mohammed as the new Director-General of NIA and Adeola Ajayi as DG of DSS.
BusinessDay gathered from Villa sources on Tuesday, that Rufai’s and Bichi’s replacements were linked to the embarrassing seizures of Nigeria’s assets by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese firm.
Read also: Seizure of Nigeria’s presidential jets by a Chinese firm —The What and the Why?— Part one
This is just as the DSS DG was also accused of “acts of insubordination exhibited towards the office of the National Security Adviser NSA”.
Sources close to the security sector revealed that the President was also “not impressed” with the level of security reports that gets to his office.
“ The seizure of Nigeria’s assets was an embarrassment to the President and the DG of NIA took the easy way out when he realized that he will be sacked,” BusinessDay gathered.
While announcing their replacements, President Tinubu had said he expects that the new security chiefs will work assiduously to reposition the two intelligence agencies for better results. He charged them to bring their experience to bear in tackling the security challenges bedeviling the country through enhanced collaboration with sister agencies and in surgical alignment with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
BusinessDay gathered that Rufai resigned after he was queried for the security lapses that resulted in Nigeria not getting information about the cases in foreign courts that led to the seizure of Nigeria’s assets.
It was gathered that the President expressed his dissatisfaction with the handling of the security architecture that resulted in such vital information slipping through the hands of the intelligence agencies.
Officers applauds Ajayi’s appointment
But following the removal of the two senior security officials, a video surfaced on the social media depicting celebrations allegedly, at the the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) following the appointment of Adeola Ajayi as the new Director General (DG) and the resignation of the former DG, Yusuf Magaji Bichi.
Some people however dismissed the video as “old footage”, while others insist the celebrations were indeed held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
A source close to the DSS revealed to BusinessDay in Abuja that the appointment of Ajayi, a core operation staff of the agency, was putting “ a round peg in a round hole,” reflecting the sentiment that he is the right person for the job.
“He has been tested and trusted; the man gives results,” the source said, highlighting Ajayi’s extensive experience and track record within the DSS.
The source further emphasised the importance of Ajayi’s appointment in the context of the DSS’s core mission to prevent crime.
“We have followed the DSS for some time now and know that the man has done enough for this country,” they added, expressing confidence in his ability to lead the agency effectively.
President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Adeola Ajayi as the new DG of the DSS was officially announced in a statement signed by Peter Afunanya, the Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications at the DSS National Headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday.
Ajayi, who was recruited into the DSS in 1990 as a cadet officer, is described as a “thoroughbred and versatile Intelligence Officer.”
Over the years, he has received training in various fields, including management, security leadership, critical thinking, and human resources, both locally and internationally.
He has also held several command positions, including State Director of Security (SDS) in Rivers, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Enugu, and Kogi States.
Known for his diligence, resilience, and analytical skills, Ajayi brings to his new position a wealth of experience and capacity.
Senator Iroegbu, a security expert and public affairs analyst, reacting to the development, commended President Tinubu for retaining the sacked officers in office, for over one year, since his assumption in May, 2023.
“As you know, these people were appointed by the former President and it is a credit to the President for keeping them, because, for every President, security is number priority for his regime.
He noted that the changes in the nation’s apex security establishments, has great implications for the country, following the ongoing global power play and competition between the global power blocks, including the medium, rising power blocks, like Ukrain.
According to him, “Nigeria cannot allow any chance, given what is currently happening in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, with Ukrain playing major roles in Mali’s internal affairs”
“We had no excuses for the embarrassments caused by the seizure of our national assets, without prior knowledge. Given that this country suffered similar challenges with the P&ID.”
The security expert counseled the incoming heads of the security agencies to urgently transactional crimes, banditry and insurgency facing the country
“A lot of killings, kidnapping banditry, armed robbery, are still going on in the country. Those In Presidency should be able to advise the President properly.
“Rather than deal decisively with the nation’s security challenges, they focused on opposition voices to the neglect of the main issues of insecurity on the ground.
The President must also put structures in place to tackle inter agency rivalries. Security issue is a marathon race.”
Referencing the September, 11, 2001, Iroegbu noted that the “ Post mortem report revealed how dangerous and dysfunctional, absence of synergy amongst security agencies can be for a country.
“So, we hope that they will rejig the security architecture to weed out their differences and work as a team” he said.
