The immediate past Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, has received a warm reception from the Katsina Emirate Council and Katsina residents.
Abubakar, also the Sardaunan Katsina, who recently voluntarily resigned his position, arrived his hometown Katsina on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the former DG was received by officials of the emirate council, family members, friends and well wishers.
Immediately he landed at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua airport, he passed through the streets of Katsina where he received praises by residents, as he went to the emir’s palace.
At the palace, he condoled with the Emir Abdulmuminu Kabir Usman, over the dead of his younger brother, Hassan Kabir Usman.
NAN reports that Hassan, also the Sarkin Dawakin Cikin Gida, died recently after a brief illness.
The former NIA boss commended the emirate council for the support given to him throughout his years of service in the country’s security intelligence body and pledged to continue to give the emirate council necessary support required.
The emir welcomed Abubakar to Katsina and commended him for serving the nation meritoriously.
The former DG, who spent seven years in office, serving two administrations of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, announced his resignation on Aug. 24, after meeting with Tinubu in Abuja.
Appointed the intelligence chief in 2018, he said he resigned due to “personal, family issues.”
He was first appointed DG of the NIA in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who extended his stay in office in December 2021.
Speaking to journalists at the State House after meeting President Tinubu, the spy chief said, “After the briefing, I tendered my resignation, and Mr. President graciously approved and accepted the resignation.”
Ambassador Abubakar explained that “I thanked him for allowing me to serve Nigeria under his transformational leadership for an extended period of 15 months, which is very rare.”
An indigene of Katsina State, the 71-year-old retired career foreign service officer bagged his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French from Bayero University, Kano.
Apart from French, he also speaks English and Arabic.
