Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned from office with immediate effect.

His resignation was conveyed in a letter dated December 1 and addressed to President Bola Tinubu. The development was confirmed on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement to Channels Television.

Onanuga said Badaru stepped down on health grounds, adding that President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and expressed gratitude for the minister’s service to the nation.

Sources within the presidency revealed that the President is expected to communicate Badaru’s replacement to the Senate within the week.

Badaru, 63, previously served as a two-term governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023. He was appointed Minister of Defence on August 21, 2023, by President Tinubu.

His resignation comes at a time when the President has declared a national security emergency, with further details expected to be announced in due course.