By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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Nigeria’s Minister of Defense, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, resigned with immediate effect on Monday, citing health concerns, as the country grapples with a surge in mass abductions that prompted President Bola Tinubu to declare a nationwide security emergency last week.
In a letter dated December 1 addressed to President Tinubu, the 63-year-old Abubakar informed the president of his decision to step down, which Tinubu accepted while expressing gratitude for his “services to the nation.” The resignation, announced by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, comes at a critical juncture, with nearly 490 people including hundreds of schoolchildren abducted across northern states in the past two weeks alone.
Abubakar, a two-term governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023 and a key APC figure in Tinubu’s 2023 election victory, was appointed to the defence portfolio on August 21, 2023. His tenure oversaw intensified military operations against bandits and insurgents but faced criticism for failing to curb escalating kidnappings for ransom, Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, and farmer-herder clashes in the central belt.
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The exit coincides with Tinubu’s November 25 declaration of a “national security emergency,” including plans to recruit 20,000 more police officers to bolster forces to 50,000 and support state-level security outfits. Onanuga noted the president’s intent to notify the Senate of a successor “later this week,” signaling no delays in filling the vacancy.
Analysts speculate former Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa as a frontrunner for replacement, given his recent private meeting with Tinubu hours before the announcement.
Abubakar’s departure underscores the mounting pressure on the administration of President Tinubu, In total, over 490 abductions reported since mid-November, with “copycat” attacks on soft targets like schools and weddings.
Opposition leader Atiku Abubakar criticized the government’s “celebration” of releases without arrests, calling it a “national disgrace.” Rights groups like Amnesty International echoed calls for accountability, warning that unchecked banditry risks “state failure.”
Tinubu’s emergency measures include ruthless pursuit of perpetrators and legislative pushes for state policing. As speculation swirls on the new minister, Nigerians demand: Not just replacements, but results DDNewsOnline.