Badaru denies resigning over alleged US–Nigeria planned strike

Immediate past Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has dismissed reports claiming he resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet due to disagreements over alleged cooperation between Nigeria and the Donald Trump-led US administration on purported plans to strike terrorist hideouts in Nigerian forests.

In a personally signed electronic statement titled “Rejoinder: Categorical Denial Of Malicious Publication Regarding My Resignation As Minister of Defence,” Badaru described the circulating reports as false, malicious, and intentionally misleading.

He said the publication alleging he quit because he “cannot stand and watch the US and Tinubu government bombing our brothers in the forest” was fabricated to damage his reputation and create friction between him and President Tinubu.

“The intent behind this fabrication is clear: to tarnish my hard-earned reputation, sow discord between me and the Commander-in-Chief… and create needless distractions from the important work of governance,” he said.

Badaru stressed that the real reasons for his resignation had already been formally communicated to President Tinubu and made public through official channels.

Any other claims, he said, were “complete falsehoods engineered by mischief makers.”

He reiterated his loyalty to President Tinubu, his commitment to national peace and security, and his continued support for the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Badaru also affirmed his dedication to the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.