Badaru refutes claims he quit Defence Ministry over alleged US–Nigeria anti-terror operation

Immediate past Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has firmly denied reports suggesting he resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet due to alleged disagreements over supposed collaboration between Nigeria and the Donald Trump-led U.S. administration to bomb terrorist enclaves in Nigerian forests.

In a personally signed electronic statement titled “Rejoinder: Categorical Denial Of Malicious Publication Regarding My Resignation As Minister of Defence,” Badaru dismissed the allegations as baseless, malicious, and deliberately misleading.

He described as completely fabricated a circulating claim that he stepped down because he “cannot stand and watch the U.S. and Tinubu government bombing our brothers in the forest,” saying it was concocted to smear his image and falsely suggest 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 emphasized that the true reasons for his resignation had already been officially communicated to President Tinubu and made public through proper government channels. Any other narrative, he insisted, amounts to “pure falsehood spread by mischief makers.”

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

Badaru also restated his dedication to the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the nation heads toward the 2027 general elections.