Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has stepped down from his role with immediate effect, citing health concerns, according to an announcement from the presidency. His resignation comes at a time when the country is battling a wave of mass kidnappings that has triggered widespread public alarm.
Abubakar, 63, leaves office amid one of Nigeria’s most challenging security periods in recent years. The UN Human Rights Office reported last week that more than 400 people—mostly schoolchildren—have been abducted since mid-November, underscoring the growing crisis.
President Bola Tinubu has nominated retired General Christopher Musa to take over the defence portfolio. Musa, 58, previously served as Chief of Defence Staff from June 2023 to October 2025 and is regarded as one of Nigeria’s most skilled military tacticians. He is best known for leading major military offensives against jihadist militants in the northeast.
Nigeria’s mounting insecurity was highlighted again on Sunday when armed groups raided two northern communities, abducting at least 20 people. Victims included a Christian pastor, a Muslim bride and her bridesmaids. Meanwhile, around 250 students and 12 teachers from a Catholic school in Niger State remain missing after one of the country’s largest recent mass kidnappings.
While many experts believe criminal gangs seeking ransom are responsible, a presidential spokesperson told the BBC that authorities suspect jihadist elements may be behind the latest attacks.
Abubakar, who served as governor of Jigawa State for two terms before joining Tinubu’s cabinet in 2023, submitted a resignation letter to the president. The presidency confirmed Tinubu accepted the decision and thanked him for his service.
The government has since declared a national security emergency and announced plans to expand the police force by recruiting 20,000 additional officers, boosting the total to around 50,000. Despite repeated reforms, Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple security fronts—including extremism in the northeast, separatist unrest in the southeast, farmer-herder clashes in the central region, and widespread kidnappings for ransom.
Security analysts say corruption, underfunded policing, and weak intelligence coordination have undermined efforts to restore stability.
Nigeria’s Senate is expected to begin screening General Musa soon. If confirmed, he will oversee what officials describe as the country’s most ambitious security restructuring in decades.
International scrutiny is also rising. The US House Committee on Appropriations is scheduled to convene a high-level roundtable on allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria. Committee chairman Tom Cole said the US would not “turn a blind eye” to religious violence. Earlier in November, US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could intervene militarily if Nigerian authorities failed to stop what he described as attacks on Christians.
The Nigerian government continues to stress that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the country’s insecurity. A Nigerian delegation led by National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu held talks in Washington last week, resulting in an agreement to establish a joint US-Nigeria working group to enhance defence and security cooperation.