– The Nigerian government has announced a change of leadership at the DIA – The new appointment follows the retirement of former service chiefs Maj.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo has already assumed his new role in the DIA.

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Maj.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo as Nigeria’s new Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) and Head of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

The Nigerian government announced the appointment of the new military commander on its official Twitter handle on Saturday, February 13.

Nigerians hope that security in the country will improve with the appointment of the new military commander. Photo: Femi Adesina Source: Facebook Maj.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo succeeds Air Vice Marshal Muhammed Usman, who recently retired from service. The statement read:

”President ⁦@MBuhari has appointed Maj.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo as Nigeria’s new Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) and Head of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). He succeeds Air Vice Marshal Muhammed Usman, who recently retired from service.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Maj Gen Adebayo took over the leadership of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) on Friday, February 12.

He promised to enhance the technical intelligence capacity of DIA through more advanced intelligence enablers and upgrading the existing ones. Adebayo said:

”Security agencies are also doing their best but much more still needs to be done. In particular, the DIA has continued to raise the bar in the intelligence state craft and considering the achievements of the former CDI, I know that the task ahead is daunting but clearly achievable.”

The military commander urged staff of the DIA to be dedicated in their duties, he also encouraged them to foster teamwork in the agency.

Before his appointment, Adebayo was a former director at the DIA and previously served as the chief of military intelligence for the Nigerian Army. Meanwhile, the ongoing war against insurgency has recorded another groundbreaking boost as Nigerian troops repelled an attack by Boko Haram in Askira Uba town in Borno state.

Troops of 28 Task Force Brigade in Chibok local government inflicted heavy casualties against 31 insurgents on Wednesday, February 10, PR Nigeria reported.

According to the report, nine gun trucks out of the eleven used by the insurgents were also destroyed by troops.

Kess Ewubare is a senior political/current affairs correspondent at Legit.ng. He has both a BSc and a Master’s degree in mass communication. He has over 10 years of experience in working in several fields of mass communication including radio, TV, newspaper, and online. For Kess, journalism is more than a career, it is a beautiful way of life.