Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has dismissed reports claiming he had resigned from office, describing the speculation as false and vowing to take legal action against those responsible for spreading it.
Musa made the remarks on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he said he was shocked by the reports and had never discussed stepping down.
“I am not going anywhere. I have never discussed this. I don’t even know who the person is that brought that information,” he said.
The minister warned that those behind the alleged misinformation would be identified and prosecuted.
“But 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,” he added.
Gen. Musa, who arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 3 p.m. and departed after 4 p.m., explained that his meeting with President Tinubu was a routine security briefing focused on the country’s security situation.
According to him, the President expressed satisfaction with the progress being made by the Armed Forces and the government’s efforts to tackle insecurity.
“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 said.
The Defence Minister alleged that the resignation rumours were deliberately circulated by individuals unhappy with what he described as the country’s improving security situation.
“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 also appealed to Nigerians to continue supporting the military and other security agencies, stressing that defeating terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality requires a collective effort.
“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,” he stated.
Gen. Musa reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to consolidating recent security gains, expressing confidence that continued collaboration between the military and the public would further improve security across the country.