Nigeria’s intelligence and security community has been thrown into mourning following the death of Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall, OFR, a veteran security strategist, statesman and pioneer of the country’s modern intelligence architecture.
Chief Horsfall, who was born on December 22, 1941, died on September 9, 2026, at the age of 84. His death was announced by the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi.
Horsfall was among the pioneering figures who helped build Nigeria’s intelligence institutions from their formative years. A former senior police officer and pioneer member of the National Security Organization (NSO), he subsequently emerged as the first Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). 
He later served as Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), now the DSS, from 1990 to 1992, placing him at the centre of Nigeria’s national-security establishment during a critical period of the country’s political and security history.
His career spanned policing, intelligence, national security and public administration, earning him a reputation as a formidable intelligence professional with deep institutional knowledge of Nigeria’s security architecture.
Beyond the intelligence community, Horsfall also played a significant role in the development of the Niger Delta. He served as the pioneer Chairman of the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), where he became associated with efforts to address the development challenges confronting oil-producing communities.
His death therefore represents more than the loss of a retired intelligence chief. It marks the passing of a generation of security officials who were involved in the construction and consolidation of some of Nigeria’s most critical national-security institutions.
For Rivers State and the Ijaw nation, Horsfall’s death is equally significant. He was widely regarded as a statesman and elder whose influence extended beyond security operations into public affairs, governance and the political development of the Niger Delta.
At a time when Nigeria continues to confront complex security threats, including terrorism, insurgency, organised crime, separatist violence and resource-related conflicts, the passing of one of the architects of the nation’s intelligence system is bound to resonate deeply across the security establishment.
Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall leaves behind a legacy defined by intelligence service, institutional building, national security and public duty.
His death closes a significant chapter in Nigeria’s security history.
Nigeria has lost an intelligence pioneer, Rivers State has lost a statesman, and the Niger Delta has lost one of its distinguished sons.
May Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall, OFR, rest in perfect peace.cfh
