Tinubu appoints Mohammed NIA DG, Ajayi as DSS boss

In a statement today, presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale announced the appointments of Mohammed Mohammed as the new head of the NIA and Adeola Ajayi as the new leader of the DSS.

Ngelale explained that these appointments came after the resignations of Ahmed Rufai from the NIA and Yusuf Bichi from the DSS. Tinubu had previously retained both Rufai and Bichi in June 2023 when he dismissed all service chiefs and heads of security agencies.

The newly appointed NIA Director-General, Mohammed Mohammed, has enjoyed a distinguished career in foreign service since joining the NIA in 1995.

He has held various positions, eventually being promoted to Director and appointed as the head of Nigeria’s mission to Libya.

A 1990 graduate of Bayero University, Kano, Mohammed has also served in North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, and at the State House in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the new DSS Director-General, Adeola Ajayi, advanced through the ranks to become Assistant Director-General before his current appointment. He has previously served as State Director in Bauchi, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Kogi.

President Tinubu expects the new security chiefs to work diligently to revitalize the two intelligence agencies and urges them to apply their experience in addressing the country’s security challenges through enhanced collaboration with other agencies and close alignment with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Ngelale concluded by expressing the President’s gratitude to the outgoing Directors-General for their service to the nation and wished them success in their future endeavors.