General Christopher Musa, former Chief of Defence Staff, has been appointed Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, the presidency announced on Tuesday, at a time when the country is facing a wave of mass kidnappings.
In a letter to the Senate—which must confirm him in this position—President Bola Tinubu “expressed his confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture,” said Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser, in a statement.
This appointment comes a day after the resignation, for health reasons, of Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, 63, who stepped down as Minister of Defence. His departure comes as Africa’s most populous nation (230 million inhabitants) faces strong criticism over its handling of the numerous conflicts tearing the country apart.
General Musa, 58, served as Chief of Defence Staff until October. He was dismissed by President Tinubu at the same time as several other senior military officials, while local media were reporting an attempted coup.
The government publicly denied any attempted coup, but military, government, and intelligence sources told AFP that a plot to overthrow the civilian government and install a junta had been foiled.
Although kidnappings for ransom are common in the country, the recent surge has prompted Tinubu to declare a national security emergency and order the recruitment of additional security forces.
