By EMMANUEL NNADOZIE ONWUBIKO

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), made the front pages of major newspapers on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, after becoming the target of agents of misinformation and disinformation who spread the false rumour that he had tendered his resignation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Those who fabricated the story circulated a message in the Hausa language, which they falsely attributed to the Minister, across various social media platforms. The Minister, who had the good fortune of moving from the prestigious office of Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff—the highest-ranking serving Army General in the country—to the equally significant position of Minister of Defence upon his retireme’t, could not understand how, when, or to whom he had supposedly communicated his “resignation.” An individual using a name and profile photograph circulated the Hausa-language message claiming that the Minister of Defence had confirmed his resignation.

The Minister dismissed the report as nothing more than a fabricated tale. Indeed, many Nigerians who saw the story did not take it seriously, as social media is often awash with unverified reports, misinformation, and outright falsehoods that are later corrected when those concerned issue official denials or report such content to the relevant platforms.

Fundamentally, many Nigerians believe it is rare for public office holders to voluntarily resign from highly paid political appointments. In the public perception, most office holders leave only when removed by the appointing authority. Consequently, few people believed the original story. When General Musa publicly debunked the rumour, Nigerians were therefore not surprised. While the public may have dismissed the report, the Minister himself expressed shock and wondered why anyone would wish him to abandon such an important office, which had been entrusted to him by President Bola Tinubu.

As expected, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), said on Tuesday that he was “shocked” by reports of his supposed resignation and vowed to take legal action against those responsible for spreading the false information.

General Musa said he had no idea where the rumours originated. Responding to questions after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the former Chief of Defence Staff said:

“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.”

The Minister denied ever discussing resignation and said the reports were the handiwork of people uncomfortable 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 described the rumours as a deliberate attempt to undermine 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 development. They always want to make it look as if it is not so.”

He added that his private meeting with the President was a routine security briefing and that President 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.”

I believe General Musa has chosen not to speculate publicly about those behind the rumour. At the very time the false report was circulating, he had reportedly travelled to China on official duty. Likewise, the Minister of State for Defence was reportedly on an official trip to Turkey on matters relating to Nigeria’s national security.

In my view, there are two possible groups that may have been behind the rumour that General Musa had resigned.

First, General Musa’s appointment came as a surprise to many observers. He was not known as a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him, reportedly on the basis of merit, competence, and his extensive military experience.

One group that may continue to oppose General Musa consists of hardliners within the APC who regard him as an outsider occupying a position they believed should have gone to one of their own within the party’s inner circle. It had been expected in some quarters that, after the departure of the former Minister of Defence, either another party loyalist or the Minister of State for Defence would be elevated to the position. That expectation was not realised, and some may therefore harbour resentment toward General Christopher Musa.

This is not intended to implicate the Minister of State for Defence. On the contrary, he appears to be a committed nationalist who, in my opinion, has no connection whatsoever with any alleged campaign against his colleague. He is himself reportedly facing political opposition from rivals in his home state who are unhappy with his close relationship with President Tinubu.

The second group, in my opinion, consists of hardline Islamists who were dissatisfied with the replacement of a Muslim minister by General Musa. Although Musa bears a common Muslim name and is from Northern Nigeria, he is a Christian. While he was born in Sokoto, one of the historic centres of Northern Nigeria, his religious identity and background distinguish him from those who may have expected the office to remain in Muslim hands.

According to this perspective, such religious hardliners may seek every opportunity to portray General Musa as ineffective or unsuccessful. Yet, despite being of Southern Kaduna origin, he continues to serve as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

General Musa has also publicly advocated strong military action against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other terrorist groups operating in Nigeria. It is therefore argued that extremist elements who oppose such measures would naturally view his leadership unfavourably.

Beyond religious and political considerations, there are also those within both political and military circles who are alleged to benefit from the persistence of insecurity in Nigeria. Such individuals, if they exist, would have little interest in seeing the Minister of Defence succeed in weakening terrorist networks through more aggressive military operations across the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions.

As General Musa continues to monitor developments carefully—as the popular Nigerian expression goes, “there is nothing Musa no dey see for gate”—it is expected that the source of this latest episode of misinformation and disinformation may eventually be identified, allowing the law to take its course.

•Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko is the Founder of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and a former National Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria.

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