Buhari appoints Umar as counter-terrorism adviser — 18 days to end of tenure

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Garba Umar, an assistant inspector-general of police, as a senior security adviser on international police cooperation and counter-terrorism.

The appointment is domiciled in the office of the minister of police affairs.

Umar is the vice-president of the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) for Africa and also the head of the INTERPOL national central bureau (NCB) in Nigeria.

He had previously held the position of INTERPOL’s police commissioner in Nigeria.

He is expected to retire from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) before the end of this month.

In a statement on Thursday, Garba Shehu, the presidential spokesperson, said Umar’s appointment will take effect on May 16.

“In approving his appointment, President Buhari took note of a precedent in which a former executive member, AIG Kamal Subair (Rtd) was retained in service by the federal government of Nigeria after retirement in 2018,” the statement reads.

“President Buhari also took note of the fact that during his tenure as a member of the executive committee, AIG 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 and in helping to get more Nigerians into important positions in the INTERPOL.”

The appointment is to enable Umar to complete his tenure as the vice-president of INTERPOL for Africa.

Umar, who was elected as a member of the executive committee of INTERPOL in 2021, will end his tenure in 2024.