The Director General (DG) of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar, on Saturday evening submitted his resignation letter to President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Abubakar who disclosed details of his resignation after the brief meeting said personal and family issues were among his reasons for resigning office.
He expressed gratitude to the President for allowing him to serve for the first 15 months of the new administration, having occupied the office since 2018.
When asked why he resigned, Abubakar said, “There are quite a number of reasons one will do that. Some personal family issues, but nothing very serious, and the friendship will continue.
“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 said he resigned after visiting the President for a routine briefing at the Villa.
“It’s a routine thing, from time to time, to brief Mr President on situations, on issues, and today is no exception.
“After the briefing, I tendered my resignation and Mr President graciously approved and accepted the resignation.
“I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to serve Nigeria under his transformational leadership for an extended period of 15 months, which is very rare”, he said.
Abubakar was first appointed DG of the NIA in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who extended his stay in office in December 2021.
Before he was appointed DG, Abubakar had a long career in intelligence and security services, which positioned him as a candidate capable of leading the agency through a period of reform and increased scrutiny.
In 2021, Buhari extended Abubakar’s tenure as NIA DG.
Later on, he continued to serve under President Bola Tinubu’s administration since his emergence as the President in 2023.
