Amid escalating insecurity in Nigeria, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, resigned on Monday night time as Nigeria’s Defence Minister.
In a letter dated December 1, despatched to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar stated he was quitting on well being grounds, Bayo Onanuga, Particular Adviser to the President on Info and Technique, stated in a press release on Monday.
“President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his providers to the nation,” the assertion stated.
Onanuga added, “President Tinubu will possible inform the Senate of Badaru’s successor later this week.”
Badaru Abubakar, 63, was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023. He was appointed as a minister on August 21, 2023, by President Tinubu.
His resignation got here amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a nationwide safety emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in the end.
In the meantime, President Tinubu is reportedly looking for a alternative for Badaru.
Former Chief of Defence Employees, Common Christopher Musa has been reportedly tipped to occupy the vacant place.
Musa met with President Tinubu on the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday night. This marked his first public assembly with the President since Tinubu retired him on October 24, 2025.
Relatedly, former Chief of Defence Employees, Gen. Fortunate Irabor (rtd.), has admitted that some politicians in Nigeria are financing terrorism however insists that the identities of these concerned is not going to be made public as a result of the trials performed whereas he was in workplace had been held “away from public consumption.”
Irabor made the revelation throughout an interview on Channels Tv on Monday, the place he was pressed on rising assaults on Christian communities, the politicisation of insecurity, and up to date feedback by former U.S. President Donald Trump alleging “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
Talking on claims that Christians had been being intentionally focused, Irabor stated Nigeria’s safety disaster is a “multi-layered monster” involving ideological terrorists, spiritual extremists, politically motivated actors, and felony gangs in search of territorial management.
“Simply as you’ve got terrorists with an ideology, you even have these bent on focusing on Christians. There are additionally these focusing on communities to displace them for leverage,’ he stated.
“After which you’ve got {economic} criminals. All of them function for various causes. Lumping it collectively beneath one idea is incorrect.”
He added that whereas some people attempt to body each assault as political, others blame it solely on spiritual extremism, however each views ignore the complexity of the battle.
“Some politicians have taken benefit of poor governance and insecurity to realize leverage, to create impressions they will do higher, and even instigate crises. However that doesn’t imply all the pieces is political, or that every one politicians are concerned,” Irabor stated, replying to a query on whether or not terrorism and banditry in Nigeria are political.
When requested why the federal government has refused to publicly reveal the names of alleged terror financiers, particularly these in politics, Irabor acknowledged that some suspects had been certainly tried, however the processes had been intentionally refrained from Nigerians.
“There have been some trials that had been made, particularly for the financiers. It’s not for public consumption,” he stated, refusing to verify whether or not any convictions had been secured.
The retired common urged Nigerians to “belief” authorities officers dealing with nationwide safety issues and insisted that not all public workplace holders are corrupt or complicit.
“Not all people in authorities is a felony or a liar. There are numerous Nigerians who really wish to ship on the mandate for which they had been appointed or elected,” he acknowledged.
Responding to Trump’s latest claims that Christians had been going through “genocide” in Nigeria and that the U.S. ought to intervene “weapons blazing,” Irabor stated exterior actors usually misinterpret Nigeria’s advanced battle.
“You may’t cease individuals from having views. However the points listed below are multifaceted. Saying all the pieces is genocide is oversimplification,” he stated.
Irabor’s feedback reopen long-standing questions in regards to the authorities’s refusal to publicly title and prosecute these bankrolling terrorism, particularly after the 2021 arrest of a number of alleged financiers.
Regardless of repeated guarantees, together with from the Buhari and Tinubu administrations, no official record has ever been printed, and no high-profile politician has been publicly charged for funding Boko Haram, bandits, or different armed {groups}.
In the meantime, the Federal Authorities is receiving assist from america, the UK, France, and different international locations in its efforts to sort out insurgency and rescue kidnapped college students, the Nationwide Safety Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has disclosed.
Ribadu spoke on Monday throughout a go to to St Mary Catholic College in Papairi, Agwara Native Authorities Space, Niger State, the place 265 college students and academics had been just lately kidnapped.
He delivered a message of hope from President Bola Tinubu and reassured dad and mom that efforts to safe the scholars’ launch had been intensified.
“You aren’t alone, I can guarantee you we’re collectively on this. Many good individuals from everywhere in the world are coming to assist us, together with america of America. We recognize everybody particularly the European international locations like France, the UK and couple of others. The entire world is coming collectively to cease and defeat this evil which has been happening in Nigeria for 20 years,” he stated.
The NSA assured dad and mom that the kidnapped youngsters had been secure and would return quickly. He emphasised that Nigerians should unite to defeat the widespread enemy inflicting havoc within the nation.
“The youngsters are the place they’re and can come again safely. God is with them and God is with us. Evil won’t ever win. They’re going to come again, I provide the assurance. Mr. President stated I ought to thanks, Bishop Yohanna, on your understanding, endurance, for giving us the correct info and by standing by for us. We’re one.”
He expressed President Tinubu’s dedication to safety, including that his go to was on Tinubu’s order.
“It is a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that we should come and go to you. Mr. President is in ache. He’s in sorrow similar to all of us.
He stopped all the pieces he was doing and he was presupposed to journey however he suspended his journey. Sufficient is sufficient, we is not going to relent in our efforts, we’re all beneath assault, allow us to not permit unhealthy individuals to divide us, allow us to not permit evil to get into us.”
He stated the Federal Authorities accepted blame for the schoolchildren’s kidnap.
“It is a very solemn and tough second for us, particularly after listening to from a number of the dad and mom and all of you. Nonetheless, we take accountability as a result of it’s our responsibility to guard you,” Ribadu stated.
Ribadu added: “We’ll present safety in that axis. You will notice our reactions and responses now, one factor I do know is that, evil individuals will all the time be round however this factor they’ve executed is what is going to change Nigeria for good.”
Ribadu recommended Bishop Bulus Yohanna of the Kontagora Diocese for standing agency regardless of the challenges surrounding the kidnapping.
Earlier, Bishop Yohanna thanked President Tinubu and Ribadu for giving hope amid the disaster.
After the go to, he introduced arduous copies of reviews to the NSA, following which a closed-door assembly lasting about half-hour happened.
The Principal of the college, Rev. Sister Felicia Gyang, and a consultant of the dad and mom, Mr. Luka Iliya, recounted how the kidnapping occurred and shared their present states of thoughts.
Accompanying Ribadu had been the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Bernard Doro; the Director-Common of the Division of State Companies, Oluwatosin Ajayi; and the Chairman of the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria, Northern Nigeria, Rev. Joseph Hayab.