By ISMAILA CHAFE

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed the retiring Assistant Inspector General of Police, Garba Umar, as a Senior Security Adviser on International Police Cooperation and Counter-terrorism in the office of the Minister of Police Affairs.

Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

The president said the appointment was meant to enable Nigeria keep the important position and make way for Umar to complete his nationally beneficial tenure as an Executive Member of the International Police Organisation (INTERPOL).

In approving his appointment, Buhari took note of a precedent in which a former Executive Member, retired AIG Kamal Subair, was retained in service by the Federal Government of Nigeria after retirement in 2018.

The president also took note of the fact that during his tenure as a member of the Executive Committee, Umar assisted Nigeria in many ways, with the hope that in the remaining one year, he will even do more in securing equipment for crimes, border management and counter-terrorism for the country.

According to him, Umar is also expected to help in getting more Nigerians into important positions in the INTERPOL.

AIG Umar’s tenure at the INTERPOL ends in November 2024, and his new appointment as Senior Security Adviser takes effect from May 16, 2023. (NAN)