Ribadu Comes Under Fire As Bandits Overwhelm Security Agencies

…He’s Not Man For The Job – Security Experts…NIA DG, Rufai Abubakar, Resigns…

Security Is Everybody’s Business, Says CDS Musa. Stakeholders have taken a look at the rising wave of terror and banditry, especially kidnapping, in the last few months and blamed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu adminis­tration for its apparent lack of an effective security framework and coordination under Nuhu Riba­du as National Security Adviser.Ribadu, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), it would be recalled, was first named the President’s Security Adviser before he was elevated to the position of NSA during the formation of Tinubu’s cabinet.As the National Security Ad­viser, all the heads of the Armed Forces, including the Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector General of Police and Director of the Department of State Ser­vice (DSS), are supposed to report to Ribadu who should advise the president on appropriate mea­sures to take at every turn. Curiously, the Director-Gen­eral of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, on Saturday, tendered his resignation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He was appointed in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who extended his stay in office in December, 2021. A retired career Foreign Ser­vice officer, Abubakar had served as Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSAP) on Foreign Af­fairs/International Relations.

He had extensive experience working with the United Nations in peace support operations, me­diation processes, preventive diplomacy, and good offices, as well as the promotion of good governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights.

The reasons for his resigna­tion were not clear at the time of going to press.In a brief chat with Abuba­kar, he said he simply visited the Presidency to brief the president on the security situation in the country and afterwards tendered his resignation.“It’s a routine thing – from time to time, I brief Mr. President on situations in the country and today is no exception. “After the briefing today, ac­tually 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 a period, for an extend­ed period of 15 months, which is very rare, by the way, to serve, to have the opportunity to serve two presidents at a stretch.“So, I thanked him very well, and I promised to remain profes­sional as we are professionally dedicated to our country and to noble causes,” he stated.

Queried further to know his reasons, he said: “There are quite a number of reasons one will do that, some personal family issues, but nothing very serious, actually, and the friendship will continue. I discussed with Mr. President, he understood very well.The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is a government division tasked with overseeing foreign intelligence and counter­intelligence operations.The functions of the NIA come within the purview of the NSA who is coordinator of se­curity activities and advises the president on findings therefrom.Chief Martin Onovo, the 2015 presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), who spoke to Sunday In­dependent, said the position of National Security Adviser (NSA) should be for a top national secu­rity

According to Onovo, current Head, Policy Positions, Move­ment for Fundamental Change (MFC), stated: “Mr. Nuhu Riba­du is principally a partisan pol­itician. “He was a presidential candi­date in Tinubu’s ACN and some political pundits have claimed he is still nursing a presidential ambition.[/i]⅙[i]“The basic consideration for a partisan politician is political advantage. That can obscure and deform the judgment of a Nation­al Security Adviser. Many analysts criticised the appointment of Nuhu Ribadu as NSA. They were right.

A partisan politician should not be appoint­ed as NSA.“Also, the political and pro­fessionally poor performance of Mr. Ribadu in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) makes it inappropriate to appoint him as NSA.“Recall, as EFCC Chairman while Tinubu was governor, Rib­adu said, ‘Tinubu and the rest … They cannot escape.

It is a matter of time. ..After their tenure, they will be prosecuted. They remain indicted and are not fit to hold public positions’.“Thereafter, he went to be­come presidential candidate in Tinubu’s ACN and today, he is serving Tinubu as NSA. The same Tinubu he indicted. That is an indication of the character of a person.

“The NSA must be a con­summate professional that con­sistently makes strictly profes­sional security assessments and plans, not a partisan politician that is desperate for political ad­vantage.“Therefore, the rise in terror­ism, banditry, and kidnapping since the inception of the present government is not a surprise to us as Nuhu Ribadu is not a good candidate for the position.

“He may be more focused on his partisan political advantage than on national security. “This is further complicated by the clear fact that his ruling party is the direct sponsor of insecurity and terrorism in Ni­geria.