NIA Refutes Report Ex-DG Reinstated By Appeal Court

The National Intelligence Agency has refuted media reports that its former acting director general, Mohammed Dauda, had been reinstated by the Court of Appeal.

The agency in a statement signed by the head of its legal department, A.H Wakil, accused Dauda of planting the story to mislead the public. Wakil explained that a certified true copy of the Court of Appeal judgment was still being awaited, while noting that Dauda was never the substantive director general of the agency.

Dauda, he said, was a director in the agency and only acted as the director general for a short period.

The statement followed the Court of Appeal judgment delivered by Justice Peter Ige which reportedly ordered that ordered that Dauda’s salaries and entitlements since his dismissal in January 2018 be paid.

The NIA’s legal department however said the substance of the case before the court was yet to be decided.

The statement by Wakil said; “It is important to clarify that Mohammed Dauda was never a substantive director general of  the National Intelligence Agency. He only acted in that capacity temporarily after the tenure of Ambassador Ayo One, and a brief stint by Ambassador Arab Yadam, until Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar was appointed substantive director general by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The matter decided by the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal related to the dismissal of Mohammed Dauda as a director in the NIA for several infractions and breaches. The substance of the present appeal for which judgment has been passed relates only to procedural matters in respect of the dismissal. The case in respect of the infractions and breaches is still pending for adjudication.”