The recently appointed Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye resumed officially on Friday at the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja.
The outgone CDI, Maj. Gen. Samuel Adebayo officially handed over command of the DIA to Undiandeye during a handing-over ceremony at the agency’s headquarters.
Speaking at his official resumption of duties, the new Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) warned criminals and those with intentions to plot evil against the country to shelve the idea forthwith.
He warned the criminals to avoid being on the ‘wrong side of the knife’, saying there will not be room or excuse for failure under the present President and Commander-in-Chief, Bola Tinubu.
The spy chief said intelligence gathering would be strengthened in such a way that anyone with evil intentions, particularly adversaries like bandits, terrorists, and other criminals, would not have their way.
He charged officers of the intelligence community to adequately deploy the resources at their disposal to ensure that Nigerians sleep with their eyes closed.
He said: “When I said there is no room for failure, what I meant is that there is no way the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces will ask us to do something and come back with excuses to give him that we’ve failed.
“With all the resources, both the human and materials, I think it behooves on us that we succeed at all times because insecurity means loss of human lives and we must secure people from unnecessary deaths.
“First and foremost, we should re-double our efforts. Secondly, we should be professional. Thirdly, in all we do, we must go beyond the ordinary call of duty to ensure that the people we are tasked to secure sleep with their two eyes closed.
“Any person that intends any evil and ill for our nation will have himself in the wrong side of the knife.”
Undiandeye pledged that he would not let the country down in the discharge of his duty in line with the mandate given to him by the president to protect the country from criminal elements.
He added: “I commend the efforts of my predecessor for his efforts in projecting the agency, he fought for the independence of the agency and I will keep your flag flying.
“To the staff of the agency, the intelligence community, we need your support and guidance, correct us where we are getting things wrong so that we can adjust.”
On his part, Adebayo said he was happy that he was leaving the agency in the hand of a capable officer, adding that he came to the agency with a set of goals, adding that he is leaving as a fulfilled man.
He said: “I am happy that I am leaving the agency in the hand of a competent officer, so, I can go to sleep.
“Dear staff, kindly extend the same hands of fellowship to my successor so as to take the agency to greater heights.”
