Press Release: President Buhari’s Letter To Senate President On Benue Killings

I thank you for your letter Reference NASS/8S/R/01 /33 dated 18th January, 2018 and I have carefully studied the resolutions and comments contained therein.

As I briefed you and the Rt. Hon. Speaker when we met on the 14th January, 2018, several courses of action had already been taken prior to the Senate Resolutions. You may recall that I told you of the following steps taken as soon as information came to me about the Benue killings.

On Thursday 4th January, I sent the Minister of Interior and the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations for an on the spot assessment of the situation.

On Friday, 5th January, the Inspector General of Police briefed me verbally on the latest situation. Calm had by then been restored.

On Monday 8th the Minister of Interior met with the following:

Governors of Adamawa, Kaduna, Niger, Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa States together with
Director General of the State Security Services (DG SSS)
Inspector General of Police
Commandant General, Civil Defence
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
Commissioners of Police from the six aforementioned states
Comptrollers of Civil Defence from the six aforementioned states.

After the meeting I instructed the Minister of lnterior to brief you on the information gathered so far and steps taken. On Tuesday 9th January, I had a long session with Governor Ortom of Benue State during which I informed him of police arrest of some suspects with Kalashnikovs. In addition, I told him that I had instructed the IGP to speed up trial and prosecution of the suspects and give wide publicity to the police efforts.

At the request of the Governor a meeting was held in the Presidential Villa on 15th January, with a wide – cross – section of Benue personages where frank and open discussions were held and everybody in the meeting appreciated the complexity and difficulties of this farmer/herder strife. I assured all and sundry of my commitment to ensure that justice is expeditiously done.

To infer, therefore that nothing has been done is incorrect. The police are strenuously working to apprehend the rest of the culprits of these heartless killings. Furthermore, I have instructed the Inspector General of Police to relocate to Benue State, redeploy forces to the most sensitive areas. The Federal Government is initiating additional measures to address these and other security challenges, alleviate the consequences of these attacks and forestall reoccurrence. The Senate Resolutions itemised in your letter will be taken into consideration and I am instructing all relevant MDAs to factor them in their work.

Earlier, on December 19th 2017 to be precise, while receiving the Report of the Committee which I had set up to review the operational, technical and administrative structure of the National intelligence Agency (NIA), I underscored the need to review the entire national security architecture – as I promised in my inaugural Address on 29th May, 2015. Action is being initiated and I expect to receive maximum cooperation from the Senate, in line with paragraph (iii) of the Senate Resolutions.

Please accept, Mr. Senate President, the assurances of my highest regards.

Muhammadu Buhari

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)
February 1, 2018.

Press Release: President Buhari Appoints Substantive DG For NIA

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of a substantive Director General for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

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

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.

The appointment takes immediate effect

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
January 10, 2018

Press Release: All Those Found Guilty in Osborne Towers Scandal Will Be Sanctioned – President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja said all those found culpable in the Osborne Towers scandal will be made to account and appropriately sanctioned.

Receiving a report of the panel established to review the operational, technical and administrative structure of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), President Buhari described the discovery of monies in the flat at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, in April this year, as an ‘‘unfortunate incident which rightly aroused public interest and outcry.’’

‘‘All the circumstances surrounding the obtaining, keeping custody and disbursement of the funds have been examined by the Vice President’s Committee and all those found to be culpable will be made to account and appropriately sanctioned.

‘‘However, it must be understood that this cannot be done in a manner that jeopardises national security or exposes the operations of any intelligence Agency, which must, by nature be conducted in secrecy.

‘‘Suffice it for me to assure all that justice will be done consistent with our anti-corruption policies,’’ the President said.

President Buhari, while commending the Presidential Review Panel on NIA led by Amb. Babagana Kingibe, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, for completing their assignment expeditiously, expressed the hope that the recommendations of the panel and that of an earlier Committee headed by the Vice President to look into the Osborne matter will assist Government in improving the operations of the NIA and the overall National Security architecture.

‘‘Your Panel’s recommendation, informed as they are by your collective experience and expertise in this field, should in particular help to reposition the NIA to better perform its vital functions with greater professionalism.

‘‘The Osborne Tower incident and its aftermath has also brought to the fore the need to review the entire National Security Architecture, which has now been in operation as established 31 years ago.

‘‘Once again, I thank you very much for undertaking this national assignment, ’’ he said.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was present at the presentation of the report by the panel which has Chief Albert Horsfall, Amb. Zakari Ibrahim and Amb. Ezekiel Oladeji, as members.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)
December 19, 2017

Press Release: President Buhari Set To Participate in Counter-Terrorism Meeting in Jordan

President Muhammadu Buhari will December 2-3, 2017, join other Heads of State in Aqaba, Jordan, to review strategies in fighting terrorism, and reinforce joint security structures that will be more proactive in preventing attacks.

Tagged, AQABA RETREAT, the meeting, hosted by His Majesty, King Abdullah II of Jordan, is expected to be attended by West African Heads of State, representatives of governments of 48 countries and a number of key Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

At the meeting, the President is expected to share Nigeria’s experience on terrorism and its spread across West Africa, with a view to soliciting more support for pre-emptive measures that will neutralise the activities of insurgents in the sub-region.

The Nigerian leader will also hold bilateral meetings with some Heads of State to strengthen relations.

President Buhari and his delegation will attend the official dinner to be hosted by King Abdullah II in honour of visiting Heads of State and their delegations.

The President will be accompanied to Jordan by the governors of Kogi, Osun and Niger States; the Ministers of Defence, Education, Foreign Affairs; the National Security Adviser, and the Acting Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)
November 30, 2017

Press Release: President Buhari Terminates Appointment of Babachir Lawal

President Muhammadu Buhari has studied the report of the panel headed by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, which investigated allegations against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir David Lawal, and the Director General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke.

The President accepted the recommendation of the panel to terminate the appointment of Mr Lawal, and has appointed Mr Boss Mustapha as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation. The appointment takes immediate effect.

President Buhari also approved the recommendation to terminate the appointment of Ambassador Oke, and has further approved the setting up of a three-member panel to, among other things, look into the operational, technical and administrative structure of the Agency and make appropriate recommendations.

FEMI ADESINA

Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)

October 30, 2017