Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, has resigned from his position.

Although he cited failing health condition as his reason, sources reveal that he was forced to resign by President Bola Tinubu to make room for former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa to be appointed Defence Minister.

In his resignation letter, Badaru reportedly cited poor health as the reason for stepping down.

A former two-term governor of Jigawa State (2015–2023), Badaru was appointed defence minister on August 21, 2023.

His tenure recently drew criticism after an interview with BBC Hausa Service, in which he said some terrorists could not be attacked because their forest hideouts were too dense for bombs to reach.

Badaru said, “In this kind of war, from time to time, there will be relief; sometimes they will do something that will shock everyone on the ground, although 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 people you cannot attack, or they are in the forests where our bombs cannot reach them. I assure you that our soldiers are working day and night to see how they can deal with this.”

The comments sparked backlash,

Security analysts have long highlighted the persistence of banditry, abductions and insurgency in parts of Northern Nigeria, arguing that leadership and technological shortcomings hinder effective military response.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has estimated that terrorists have killed over 100,000 Nigerians and displaced more than two million.

Badaru’s resignation comes as the Federal Government implements a national security emergency, with further details expected in the coming days.