Daniel Shaga Ismaila hails from Lamurde, the headquarters of the Bwatiye people, the spiritual home and traditional headquarters of the Bachama people of Adamawa State. He was born on 23 February 1954 in Northeastern city of Bauchi, Bauchi State. He is an accountant and worked in several firms before he joined the National Drugs Law and Enforcement Agency in 1994 where he retired as an Assistant Commander-General of Narcotics in 2014.
