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5d ago

Tinubu Picks Ex-Defense Chief Christopher Musa After Nigeria's Defense Minister Resigns

The move follows a surge in mass kidnappings that prompted a nationwide security emergency.

Nigerian Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar attends the Beijing Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, China October 30, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Pool
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L-R: President of Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray; Republic of Benin President, Patrice Talon; and Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar arriving at the Nigerian Presidential Villa, during the extraordinary session of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria on February 24, 2024. Nigeria's president Bola Ahmed Tinubu urged worried West African leaders to rethink their strategy on coup-hit states at an emergency summit on Saturday. The region has been rocked by a series of political crises and Tinubu told heads of state gathered for the ECOWAS talks in Nigeria's capital Abuja they were meeting at a "critical juncture". (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)

Overview

  • Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar stepped down citing health reasons, the presidency announced late Monday.
  • President Bola Tinubu nominated former chief of defence staff Christopher Musa to lead the ministry, with Senate confirmation still required.
  • The United Nations reported at least 402 people abducted since mid-November, including more than 200 schoolchildren from St. Mary’s who remain missing.
  • Tinubu ordered emergency measures including recruiting 50,000 police officers, increasing army enlistment, redeploying VIP police to frontline duties and deploying forest guards.
  • Musa previously served as chief of defence staff until October during a broader military shake-up, as Nigeria faces overlapping threats from jihadists, kidnapping gangs and communal conflicts under heightened U.S. scrutiny.