Defence Minister Badaru Abubakar resigns on health grounds

By Editor

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned from office with immediate effect, citing health concerns.

His resignation was confirmed on Monday through a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

Onanuga said that Badaru communicated his decision in a letter dated December 1, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in which he explained that deteriorating health made it necessary for him to step down.

President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and expressed appreciation for Badaru’s service to the nation. The President is expected to forward the name of a new Defence Minister to the Senate later this week.

Badaru, 63, formerly served as the Governor of Jigawa State for two terms between 2015 and 2023 before joining President Tinubu’s cabinet on August 21, 2023.

His exit comes at a time when the President has declared a national security emergency, with further briefings expected on the administration’s strategy to strengthen security across the country.

Badaru’s resignation adds a new dimension to ongoing efforts within the defence sector as the government moves to recalibrate its security architecture amid rising threats and operational demands.

While there were reports of President Tinubu likely to appoint the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), to replace Bandaru, the Presidency is yet to formally commence on the reports.

…Ex-Defence Chief Gen. Musa meets Tinubu
Meanwhile, speculation about a possible cabinet change intensified on Monday following a private meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the recently retired CDS, Gen. Christopher Musa (Rtd), hours before the immediate past Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, announced his resignation.

Gen. Musa, who retired on October 24, 2025, was reportedly led into the President’s office area by a senior security official for the meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

The purpose of the meeting was not immediately known, but the subsequent resignation of Minister Badaru suggested Musa may be poised for a new cabinet appointment.

Gen. Musa, Nigeria’s 18th Chief of Defence Staff, was appointed in June 2023 and retired in October 2025, handing over to General Olufemi Oluyede.

Originally from Zangon Kataf in Kaduna State, Musa gained national prominence as Theatre Commander of Operation HADIN KAI, where he led counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram in the North-East.
Musa was awarded the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for his service.

His tenure as Defence Chief was marked by strong advocacy for civil-military cooperation, modernization of Nigeria’s defense strategy, and being vocal against corruption, which he described as ‘economic sabotage’.