The defence minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned his appointment from President Bola Tinubu’s government.
This was contained in a letter dated December 1, 2025, sent to President Tinubu, Badaru
According to a statement by Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday night, Badaru resigned on health grounds and President Tinubu has accepted it and thanked him for his services to the nation.
He said the President will likely 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 is coming on the heels of the declaration of a nationwide security emergency by Tinubu-led federal government.
The President had unveiled new measures including the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers, deployment of forest guards, and heightened security for schools, churches and mosques in vulnerable communities.
There have also been persistent calls from some analysts for Abubakar’s removal, with critics arguing that he was unfit to lead the ministry.
Hours before the announcement of his resignation, Tinubu met privately with former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), at the State House.
Our correspondent sighted Musa arriving at 7:03 p.m., dressed in dark-green northern-style traditional attire with elbow-length sleeves, before being led into the President’s office wing by a senior security official.
It was his first public meeting with the President since his retirement on October 24, 2025.
The purpose of the meeting could not be immediately confirmed, but it further fuelled speculation about who might replace Abubakar as Defence Minister.
