The sudden resignations of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar, have been linked to significant intelligence failures that recently embarrassed the Nigerian government both domestically and internationally.
Sources within the Presidency revealed that President Bola Tinubu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu were deeply concerned about the intelligence lapses that contributed to the violent #EndBadGovernance protests in northern Nigeria and the seizure of three Nigerian presidential aircraft in France.
The #EndBadGovernance protests, which began on August 1, 2024, in response to the removal of fuel subsidies, electricity tariff hikes, and rising costs of living, turned violent in several northern states, including Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, and Bauchi.
The violence led to widespread destruction of property, looting, and the imposition of curfews in some states.
The DSS, under Bichi’s leadership, was criticized for failing to provide adequate intelligence that could have prevented or mitigated the unrest.
The protests in Kano, Bichi’s home state, were particularly severe, raising questions about his effectiveness as the head of the nation’s primary domestic intelligence agency.
In a separate but equally troubling incident, three Nigerian presidential aircraft were seized by a French court amid a legal dispute between the Ogun State Government and Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese company.
The NIA, led by Abubakar, was criticized for failing to foresee and warn the government about the impending seizure, which involved a newly purchased Airbus.
According to insiders, President Tinubu and NSA Ribadu were embarrassed and frustrated by the intelligence failures.
The President, feeling let down by the security agencies’ inability to provide timely and effective intelligence, reportedly demanded the resignations of both Bichi and Abubakar.
“The seizure of the presidential jets and the violent nature of the #EndBadGovernance protests embarrassed the President nationally and internationally.
“The President was displeased with the NIA and DSS bosses. This was why he requested the resignation of the two security chiefs,” a source close to the matter told Punch.
It was also reported that Bichi and NSA Ribadu had been at odds for some time before the protests, with tensions escalating over various operational issues.
The fallout from the northern demonstrations was said to have been the final straw for Bichi, leading to his departure.
Abubakar’s resignation was announced on Saturday, August 24, following a meeting with President Tinubu. In contrast, Bichi’s resignation was disclosed in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Monday, August 26.
