Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, has resigned from his position, citing health issues. The resignation was confirmed by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, in a statement released on Monday.
In his resignation letter, Badaru mentioned poor health as the reason for his departure. “President Tinubu is expected to inform the Senate about Badaru’s successor later this week,” the statement added.
His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in the near future. President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and expressed gratitude to Badaru for his service to the nation.
Badaru, a former two-term governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023, was appointed as Defence Minister on August 21, 2023. His tenure faced criticism following an interview with BBC Hausa Service, in which he stated that some terrorists could not be attacked because their forest hideouts were too dense for bombs to reach.
Badaru said, “In this kind of war, there will be relief from time to time; sometimes there will be actions that shock everyone on the ground. I have heard some say that their whereabouts are known and who they are. It is true that their whereabouts are known, but they are individuals you cannot attack, or they are in forests where our bombs cannot reach them. I assure you that our soldiers are working day and night to find a way to address this situation.”
His comments sparked backlash, including criticism from The PUNCH Editorial Board, which described them as “confusing, contradictory, and self-deprecatory.”
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