The National Security Organization (NSO) of Nigeria was established in 1976 by the military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, after the failed Dimka coup--which claimed the life of former Head of State Murtala Mohammed. The NSO was given a mandate of coordinating both domestic and foreign intelligence.
Dissolution[]
Following the 1985 military coup that brought Ibrahim Babangida to power, the NSO was dissolved into three separate divisions per the provisions made in Decree 19:
- State Security Service (SSS) - Responsible for domestic intelligence
- Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) - Responsible for Foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations
- Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) - Responsible for military intelligence.