The minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd), threatened on Tuesday to take legal action against individuals behind rumours of his resignation, saying he was “shocked” by the reports and had no idea where they came from.
“I am not going anywhere. I have never discussed this. I don’t even know who the person is that brought that information. But whoever it is, we will take legal action against them,” Musa said after emerging from closed-door talks with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Musa arrived at the villa at 3 p.m. and left well after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, amid swirling rumours concerning his tenure.
Emerging from the meeting, the defence minister dismissed any consideration of resignation and claimed the allegations were the handiwork of persons disgruntled with the administration’s improving security record.
“Whoever it is, we will take legal action against them. I am sure we will get them. He will come and explain who gave him such information,” Musa said.
He described the claims as a deliberate attempt to undercut public confidence in the administration’s security gains.
“We are surprised. I was shocked when I saw that. I don’t know where that came from. But you always expect that there will be people who will not be happy when things are going well. Security is improving, things are getting better, and for them, that is a sad point. They always want to make it look as if it is not so,” he said.
He said the private meeting with the president was a routine security briefing and that Tinubu had expressed satisfaction with the military’s performance.
According to him, “I just came back from briefing Mr President on the current security situation, and he is very happy with us. We are going to continue doing well.”
He also called for continued civilian cooperation with security forces, framing it as indispensable to the campaign against terrorism and banditry.
Musa stated, “I want to seize this opportunity to appreciate Nigerians for all the support.
“The support has been massive. To defeat the terrorists and the bandits is a whole-of-society approach. Nigerians have keyed into it, and things are getting better, and they will continue to improve.”
Musa was appointed as minister of defence by Tinubu on December 2, 2025, having previously served as chief of defence staff from July 2023.
