The intelligence community and the new challenges

By Eric Teniola

CRISIS is an opportunity to make good on big changes. So never waste a good crisis. The late British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874-January 24, 1965) once wrote: “Never let a good crisis go to waste”. After the brutal assassination of General Murtala Ramat Mohammed (November 8, 1938 – February 13, 1976) on February 13, 1976, the central government realised that the coup d’etat caught the government unawares. To rectify the situation and to prevent future occurrence, government decided to reform the security apparatus in the country.

Earlier the internal security of Nigeria was under the supervision of the Nigeria Police Force headed by Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusuf (1931-2015) from Katsina. Prior to the coup, internal security and intelligence was handled by the police Special Branch, a secret police, while external intelligence was conducted by the Research Department, RD, a unit of the External Affairs Ministry.

The Central Government then enacted Decree 27 of 1976. The decree, signed into law by General Olusegun Obasanjo, was for creation of the National Security Organisation of Nigeria, NSO. Decree No 27 of 1976, which set up the NSO, said the organisation was employed for the following purposes: a) the prevention and detection of any crime against the security of Nigeria; b) the protection and preservation of all classified matter concerning or relating to the security of Nigeria; and c) such other purposes, whether within or without Nigeria, as the Head of the Federal Military Government may deem necessary with a view to securing the maintenance of the security of Nigeria.