Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), has resigned from his position.
He submitted his resignation to President Bola Tinubu, as disclosed to State House reporters on Saturday, following a meeting with the president.
Abubakar stated that he had come to the Presidential Villa to brief President Tinubu on various matters, as he regularly did. However, during this visit, he also tendered his resignation, which the president accepted.
“I came to brief Mr. President on issues, as is customary, and today was no exception,” Abubakar said. “After the briefing, I tendered my resignation, and Mr. President graciously approved and accepted it.”
The former NIA boss took the opportunity to express his gratitude to President Tinubu for allowing him to serve Nigeria under his administration. He highlighted the unique opportunity he had to serve under two presidents consecutively for an extended period of 15 months, which he described as rare.
Despite his resignation, Abubakar assured his continued commitment to Nigeria’s security. When questioned about his decision to step down, he explained that it was due to personal and family reasons but emphasised that there was nothing serious to worry about. “There are quite a number of reasons one would do that. Some personal, family issues. But nothing very serious, actually,” he said. “I discussed with Mr. President, he understood very well, and I promised to remain steadfast with issues and the security situations of the country.”
Abubakar was appointed as the Director General of the NIA in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who later extended his term in December 2021. A 71-year-old retired career foreign service officer from Katsina State, Abubakar joined the Nigerian Foreign Service’s security department in 1993. In 2015, he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President on International Relations and Foreign Affairs.
He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French from Bayero University, Kano, and is fluent in English and Arabic.
