Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned from office with immediate effect, citing health grounds, the Presidency announced on Monday.
President Bola Tinubu has accepted the resignation and is expected to notify the Senate of a successor later this week, according to a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
Badaru, 63, a two-term governor of Jigawa State, was appointed minister on August 21, 2023. His departure comes at a sensitive moment for the administration, which is confronting a surge in violent attacks, kidnappings and armed group activities across the country—including newly affected areas in Kwara, Kogi and Niger states.
The resignation also coincided with a visit to the president earlier today by Rtd. Gen. Christopher Musa, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff. It is not immediately clear whether the meeting was related to Badaru’s exit or whether Musa is being considered for the role.
The development lands just days after President Tinubu declared a national security emergency, promising to outline the scope of the plan in the coming days as Nigerians demand decisive action against worsening insecurity.
With the defence portfolio now vacant, attention is expected to turn to the Presidency and Senate as the government races to name a replacement capable of steering the armed forces during one of the country’s most volatile security periods in years.
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