Northern {groups} have known as for the resignation of the minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, over what they described as his failure to handle insecurity within the North.
The North-West Alliance for Safety (NWAS) and the North-East Youth Revival Motion (NEYM), in separate statements issued Tuesday, decried the growing spate of killings, displacement, and destruction of their respective zones, blaming the federal authorities’s incapacity to comprise the crises on weak management on the helm of the defence ministry.
NWAS, in an announcement signed by its chairman, Musa Zakaria, lamented the continued operations of armed bandits in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, and Sokoto states, saying the area had change into a hotbed of lawlessness, with an estimated 30,000 bandits unfold throughout 100 gangs.
“The persistent failures of the Minister of Defence to successfully tackle these challenges go away us with no possibility however to name for his speedy resignation,” the group mentioned.
It mentioned the North-West was affected by violent assaults linked to radicalised bandit {groups} that now function with jihadist factions, blurring the strains between criminality and terrorism.
“Hundreds have been killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, and the financial system crippled. Our conventional methods of dispute decision have collapsed, making a vacuum now stuffed by terror and concern,” the group added.
In a separate assertion, NEYM known as for Badaru’s removing over final week’s lethal Boko Haram assault on a navy base in Marte, Borno State, which left 5 troopers lifeless and a number of other navy belongings looted.
The assertion signed by its chairman, Abbarious Lawal, NEYM mentioned the incident uncovered deep-rooted weaknesses in Nigeria’s navy construction, citing low morale, desertion, and poor strategic coordination.
“The assault highlights a crucial disaster of confidence inside our armed forces. Our troopers are sometimes left with out sufficient coaching, tools, or help,” the group mentioned.
It added that the assault compelled residents of close by communities to flee to Dikwa, Mafa, and Lukumani, additional worsening the humanitarian disaster within the area.
Quoting information from SBM Intelligence, the group mentioned over 2,000 individuals had been killed in violent incidents between January and March 2025, with Borno State accounting for the very best variety of casualties.
Each {groups} mentioned the minister of Defence had ample time to reveal management however failed, including that excuses would now not suffice within the face of nationwide tragedy.
“The time has come for decisive motion. Minister Badaru’s resignation isn’t just symbolic—it’s obligatory. We name on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to exchange him with somebody able to confronting the safety disaster head-on,” they said.
They urged civil society {groups}, conventional rulers, and different stakeholders to hitch their name for pressing reforms and accountability within the nation’s defence sector.
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