FG Debunks Resignation Rumour, says Defence Minister Musa Remains Focused on Securing Nigeria

The Federal Government has shut down what it called a “malicious” and “entirely fabricated” online rumour claiming that the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Retd.), OFR, was planning to resign.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the Office of the Minister described the reports doing the rounds on social media as absolute falsehoods designed to cause mischief and distract the Armed Forces at a critical time.

“We wish to state unequivocally and in the strongest possible terms that these rumours are absolute falsehoods borne out of complete mischief,” the statement said.

According to the office, General Musa remains fully in office and is “fully focused on his responsibilities” of driving the Federal Government’s national defence and security agenda.

The statement stressed that the minister is not distracted and continues to oversee the nation’s defence strategy, troop welfare, and ongoing operations across the country.

“The [general] public is hereby urged to disregard this fake news,” it added. “We strongly advise media outlets and internet users to desist from spreading unverified information and to seek clarification from the office on matters concerning the Minister.”

The government reiterated its call for the public to verify information through official channels before publishing or sharing it, noting that spreading falsehoods about key security offices only emboldens those working against national peace.

General Musa, a retired four-star general, was appointed Minister of Defence and has been at the forefront of the administration’s push to degrade insurgency, banditry and other threats nationwide.

The Defence Headquarters on Tuesday dismissed as false reports published on social media alleging that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, is dead. The Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, said in a statement issued in Abuja that the CDS who recently returned from a foreign…November 21, 2023