Nigeria Defense Minister Resigns Amid Security Crisis

Nigeria’s Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar has stepped down immediately for health reasons, according to the presidency, as the country faces an escalating wave of kidnappings and armed attacks.

His resignation comes as President Bola Tinubu declares a national security emergency following a surge of violence across multiple states.

Armed bandit groups have intensified operations in the northwest and north-central regions, carrying out large-scale abductions from churches, rural communities, and schools.

Nearly 490 people have been kidnapped in the past two weeks, including more than 300 children taken from a private Catholic boarding school in Niger State. Weddings, church services, and entire villages have also been targeted.

Nigeria’s security forces remain overstretched, with limited personnel and resources to protect a population exceeding 220 million. 

Many rural areas lack any meaningful state security presence, while police capacity is undermined by inadequate equipment, low salaries and widespread corruption.

Tinubu has ordered accelerated recruitment for police and military units, but analysts warn that the scale of the crisis requires significant structural reforms and long-term investment.