Nigerian defense minister resigns amid surging insecurity

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Nigerian Defense Minister Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar has resigned, as the country faces escalating insecurity.

In a letter to President Bola Tinubu on Monday, Abubakar cited health reasons for stepping down. The president accepted the resignation and thanked him for his service, according to a statement from the president's special adviser.

Tinubu is expected to inform the Senate of Abubakar’s successor later this week.

The 63-year-old former minister served two terms as governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023 and was appointed by Tinubu on Aug. 21, 2023.

Abubakar’s resignation came after Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency last week after a series of killings and kidnappings in the West African country.

He directed Nigeria's secret police, known as the Department of State Services, to deploy trained forest guards to flush out terrorists in the woodlands.

The president called on the National Assembly to review laws to allow states to establish state police where necessary and urged local authorities and religious institutions to improve security measures.

Last month, more than 300 schoolchildren were kidnapped from a Catholic school in the country’s north-central Niger State. As many as 50 managed to escape, but the remainder are still being held.

US President Donald Trump also threatened Nigeria with possible military action for the alleged killing of Christians. Abuja, however, pushed back on these claims, describing them as a misrepresentation of reality.