Aliyu Gusau
| Aliyu Mohammed Gusau | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Defence | |
|
In office 5 March 2014 – May 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Olusola Obada |
| Succeeded by | Mansur Dan Ali |
| Chief of Army Staff | |
|
In office August 1993 – September 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Salihu Ibrahim |
| Succeeded by | Chris Alli |
| National Security Advisor | |
|
In office 29 May 1999 – 1 June 2006 |
|
| Succeeded by | Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar |
| National Security Advisor | |
|
In office 8 March 2010 – September 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar |
| Succeeded by | Kayode Are |
| Director General of the National Security Organization | |
|
In office September 1985 – July 1986 |
|
| Preceded by | Mohammed Lawal Rafindadi |
| Succeeded by | NSO Dissolved |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
18 May 1943 Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria |
| Alma mater | Nigerian Defence Academy |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch |
 Nigerian Army
|
| Years of service | 1964 - 1993 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
Lieutenant General (retired) Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (born May 18 1943) is a retired Nigerian army officer who served in many senior level security, defence, and military roles. He was most recently Minister of Defence, served as National Security Adviser to 2 different president, Chief of Army Staff, headed different intelligence agencies, and was Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Aliyu Mohammed was born on 18 May 1943 in Gusau, Zamfara State. The army added his birthplace to his name, making "Aliyu Mohammed Gusau", to distinguish him from another General, Aliyu Mohammed. Although Aliyu does not himself use "Gusau" in his name, it has been widely adopted by the media. He enrolled as an officer cadet at the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1964 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1967.
He was Commander of 9 Infantry brigade, Abeokuta (April 1976 – July 1978), Adjutant General of 2 Mechanised Division (July 1978 – September 1979) and Director of Personnel Services, Army Headquarters (October 1979 – November 1979).
From November 1979 to December 1983 Aliyu was Director of Military Intelligence (DMI). He played an important role in the coup that ousted President Shehu Shagari on 31 December 1983 and brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power. Following the coup he was proposed as overall head of Intelligence, with the support of Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Babangida, but the appointment was opposed by Buhari. Buhari confirmed Shagari's appointee Muhammadu Lawal Rafindadi as director of the National Security Organization (NSO), and dismissed Aliyu from the DMI, replacing him with Colonel Halilu Akilu. Aliyu was sent on a training course at the Royal College of Defence Studies in Britain.
Aliyu was a player in the coup of 27 August 1985, when Babangida replaced Buhari. In the lead-up, due to the influence he had acquired as DMI, Aliyu was placed under intense surveillance and in turn placed pressure on the coup leaders to act swiftly.
After the coup, Aliyu was appointed Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Acting Director-General of the NSO from September 1985 to August 1986, then Coordinator on National Security from August 1986 to December 1989. He reorganised the security and intelligence apparatuses, which had fallen in disarray under Rafindadi during the Buhari regime, breaking up the NSO into three organisations: State Security Services (SSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI).
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Wikipedia