Details have emerged on the reason behind the sudden resignation of a former Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, after two years in office.
Badaru resigned his position on Monday, citing health concerns.
In his place, President Bola Tinubu swore in a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (retd.) as the new Minister of Defence.
Announcing Badaru’s resignation, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement that the former minister stepped down on account of “poor health.
However, findings by Saturday PUNCH showed that the former minister was compelled to resign following a protracted cold war between him and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, a rift that had been carefully kept away from the media for months.
Badaru was appointed on August 21, 2023, months after completing his two term tenure as Jigawa State governor.
His appointment reportedly rested on his administrative credentials and regional influence in the North West, a region grappling with escalating banditry and insurgency.
After being sworn in alongside other ministers, Badaru was said to have prioritised military modernisation, intelligence reforms and counter terrorism operations.
Tinubu also appointed Matawalle on the same day to support Badaru, the senior minister, in executing defence policies.
However, in recent weeks, the two men came under intense public scrutiny following the resurgence of bandit and terror attacks, which prompted Tinubu to declare a nationwide security emergency.
The worsening insecurity snowballed into mass abductions of schoolchildren, with dozens of pupils and students kidnapped across several northern states.
The student kidnappings heightened pressure on the former defence minister, with some analysts calling for his removal on the grounds that he was failing to lead the ministry effectively.
The security crisis also renewed global scrutiny of Nigeria’s security posture, especially from the Trump administration which, in late October, re-designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over the alleged mass killing of Christians.
Amid mounting public outrage, the defence minister tendered his resignation on December 1.
In separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH, credible military sources within the defence ministry said Badaru’s long-running animosity with Matawalle, rather than health concerns, ultimately forced him out.
An official of the ministry, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said the two ministers maintained a cordial appearance in public but had a “frosty relationship” behind the scenes.
“Matawalle and Badaru had a frosty relationship for most of the period he was minister, although they appeared cool with each other in public. But it is a known fact here that they had something against themselves,” the official said.
According to him, the tension affected some aspects of the ministry’s work, including media coordination.
“This affected some of their work. Even as a journalist, does the media unit look coordinated to you? Was this how it was being run before they came?
“Pairing the two together as ministers is something that ought not to have happened in the first place,” he added.
Another military source said it was believed that Matawale had a strong relationship with the presidency and was becoming domineering within the ministry.
