Halilu Akilu

Halilu Akilu
Director General, National Intelligence Agency
In office 1990–1993
Preceded by	Albert Horsfall
Succeeded by	Zakari Ibrahim
Chief of Defence Intelligence Agency
In office January 1990 – September 1990
Preceded by	Rear Adm. B. Elegbede
Succeeded by	Group Capt. I. Musa
In office August 1985 – July 1986
Preceded by	Brig-Gen. A.M. Gusau
Succeeded by	Rear Adm. B. Elegbede
Director, Directorate of Military Intelligence
In office 1983–1985
Personal details
Alma mater	Nigerian Defence Academy
Military service
Allegiance	Nigeria
Service/branch	Nigerian Army
Years of service	1967-1993
Rank	Brigadier General
Commands	146 Battalion Kano

Halilu Akilu or Haliru Akilu is a retired Nigerian Army Brigadier General who served as Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Chief of Defence Intelligence, and Director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence.

Akilu graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1970 as a member of the NDA's 3rd Regular Combatant Course. His graduating class included officers such as Brig-Gen (and later Senator) David Mark, Gen. Tunde Ogbeha, Gen.Raji Rasaki, Gen. Chris Garuba, Gen. Abdulkareem Adisa, Adm. Mike Akhigbe and Gen. Tunji Olurin.

Akilu as a Major in the early 1980s, was the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army's 146th Infantry Battalion that suppressed (along with the 202nd Armoured Battalion) the Maitatsine religious riots. Akilu later served as Director of the Army's Directorate of Military Intelligence and twice served as Chief of Defence Intelligence (from 1985 to 1986 and in 1990).

Then Lt-Colonel Akilu played a coordinating role in the coup that ousted the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari and installed Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state on December 31, 1983

Then Lt-Colonel Akilu played a major coordinating role as (Director of Military Intelligence) in the August 27, 1985 coup that ousted the Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari's regime and installed Maj-Gen. Ibrahim Babangida to power as Nigeria's Head of State. Akilu and Babangida have a close relationship in that Akilu's wife and the Babangida's wife (the late Maryam Babangida are cousins. Gen. Babangida (then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) exploited his closeness to Akilu and other graduates of the NDA's Regular Course 3 (Babangida was an NDA instructor in the early 70s) to hatch the 1985 palace coup. Akilu was strategically placed in the DMI as a mole and counterweight to Mohammed Lawal Rafindadi, Gen. Buhari’s loyal Director of the Nigerian Security Organization (NSO).

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