The controversy over appointment of a new director general of Nigeria’s external security organisation, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has moved to the courts.
On Friday, an activist and the convener of the Concerned Nigerians group, Deji Adeyanju, asked a federal high court to reverse the appointment.
The activist challenged the propriety of the appointment of Ahmed Abubakar as the head of the elite security organisation by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a writ of summon by the Federal High Court, Abuja, President Buhari, DG of the NIA and the Attorney General of the Federation are to appear as the first, second and third defendants.
The court asked the dependents to appear within 30 days of the service of the summon.
Mr. Adeyanju is asking court to determine whether the first defendant can appoint the second defendant (Mr. Abubakar), who is from Katsina state, as director general of the NIA when the DG of the State Security Services, Lawal Musa Daura is also from Katsina state.
The plaintiff also challenged whether, by the provision of section 2(3) of the National Security Agency Act, the second defendant is ”a fit and proper person” to be appointed as DG of the NIA.
Mr. Adeyanju therefore prayed the court to order the removal of the second defendant as the DG of the NIA.
He also prayed for a perpetual order restraining the first defendant from further appointing the second defendant as head of the agency.
