National Intelligence Agency (Nigeria)


The National Intelligence Agency is a Nigerian government division tasked with overseeing foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations.

History

Fulfilling one of the promises made in his first national address as president, in June 1986 Ibrahim Babangida issued Decree Number 19, dissolving the National Security Organization and restructuring Nigeria's security services into three separate entities under the Office of the Co-ordinator of National Security.

Foreign intelligence services

The role and functions of the NIA are roughly equivalent to those of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service , the Indian Research and Analysis Wing, the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence, the French foreign intelligence service Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure and Israel's Mossad.
Staff of NIA are regarded to be highly skilled, intelligent and very discreet in their operations.
According to Public Policy expert- Valentine Tobechukwu Achum, NIA has a manifest role of preserving Nigeria’s eminence, pride and dignity through repossessing and intercepting secret information that is capable of imperilling Nigeria's National Interest and breaching its National Security.