JUST IN: Former DSS DG Yusuf Bichi Lands New Appointment Under Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has appointed former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi, as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), Abuja.
Bichi’s appointment was announced in a statement issued by the institute’s Director of Coordination and Liaison, Lilian Omo-Odigwe, on Thursday, October 22.
According to the statement, Tinubu approved the appointment following a recommendation by the incumbent DSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi.
Bichi’s appointment is for an initial four-year term, effective October 22, 2026, in accordance with Section 4 of the National Institute for Security Studies (Establishment) Act, 2019.
He will succeed A.A. Gadzama as chairman of the governing board.
The appointment returns the former intelligence chief to a leadership role within Nigeria’s security and institutional training sector, following his departure from the DSS in August 2024.
Bichi handed over leadership of the secret service to Ajayi, who succeeded him as Director-General.
The NISS said Bichi’s experience in intelligence, security administration, operational leadership and institutional training would contribute to the governance of the institute.
The former DSS chief began his career in the Security Division of the Kano State Cabinet Office before his transfer of service in 1984. He subsequently built a career in Nigeria’s intelligence community, holding various positions within the security establishment.
Bichi was appointed Director-General of the DSS by former President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2018, replacing Matthew Seiyefa, who had been serving in an acting capacity following the removal of Lawal Daura.
In announcing the appointment at the time, Buhari’s media aide, Garba Shehu, described Bichi as a “core Secret Service operative.”
Bichi had previously worked as a State Director of Security in Jigawa, Niger, Sokoto and Abia states. He also served in several directorates at the DSS national headquarters, including operations, intelligence, security enforcement, inspection, and administration and finance.
His career included a stint as Director of the State Service Academy, where he gained experience in institutional training.
Bichi also received training in intelligence processing and analysis, agent handling and recruitment in the United Kingdom, as well as strategic training at the National Defence College.
His appointment as NISS governing board chairman comes as the Tinubu administration continues to pursue measures aimed at strengthening security institutions and addressing threats such as banditry, kidnapping and attacks on critical infrastructure.
The Federal Government recently approved the acquisition of additional railway coaches and security surveillance equipment to improve railway transportation and protect infrastructure from vandalism and criminal attacks.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Funso Adebiyi, disclosed the approval during an inspection of the ongoing Kano–Maradi railway project.
Adebiyi said security remained a major concern for the ministry and disclosed that President Tinubu had authorised the acquisition of surveillance equipment for railway corridors across the country.
“I’m glad to inform you that Mr President has given the go-ahead for us to embark on the acquisition of surveillance security equipment all across the country, and we are working around the clock to ensure this,” he said.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Transportation and Mobility, Prince Adetokunbo Ademola Ade-John, also said the government was working towards introducing a tracking system to help prevent banditry and kidnapping along railway routes.
