A leading pro-democracy and accountability group, Ethics Vanguard, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, over what it calls “gross incompetence” in the face of escalating insecurity across Nigeria.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its Executive Director, Amina Mohammed, and released in Abuja on Monday, the organisation condemned the Defence Minister’s alleged inaction as the country faces daily attacks by terrorists, bandits, and armed militias.
“From Plateau to Kaduna, Benue to Zamfara, Nigerians are being butchered in their homes, farms, schools and highways,” the statement read. “Meanwhile, the Defence Minister remains silent, absent, and bureaucratically aloof.”
Ethics Vanguard praised federal lawmaker Hon. Solomon Maren, representing Mangu/Bokkos in Plateau State, for openly criticising the Defence Ministry’s performance, calling his remarks an act of courage and truth in a time of national crisis.
The organisation said the country requires a “tested and proactive defence strategist,” not a “ceremonial politician,” to handle the weighty task of national security.
Describing Badaru’s appointment as a “misplacement of priorities,” the group said the Minister lacks the operational expertise, tactical discipline, and strategic foresight needed to manage Nigeria’s overstretched armed forces and modern warfare challenges.
“It is unconscionable that Nigeria is at war, yet we have a Defence Minister with no clear security pedigree, no reform agenda, and no visible impact,” the statement added.
Ethics Vanguard also took aim at what it called “government complicity,” warning that public trust is eroding due to the continued presence of ineffective appointees.
The group called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to lead a bipartisan effort to pass a vote of no confidence in the minister and press the President to act swiftly.
Adding to the controversy, Ethics Vanguard cited a recent disclosure in the National Assembly that combat tanks worth trillions of naira were allegedly handed over to Boko Haram terrorists, without any accountability measures by the Ministry of Defence.
In response to these developments, the organisation announced it is mobilising over 120 civil society groups for a nationwide protest if Badaru is not dismissed within 14 working days.
Demonstrations are expected to target the Ministry of Defence, National Assembly Complex, and other strategic government sites if the demand is not met.
“We cannot mourn endlessly while someone sits in office, dishing out excuses and collecting allowances,” the statement said. “Nigerians want protection, not platitudes.”
The group further criticised the Defence Minister’s failure to visit Plateau communities affected by recent massacres, where over 200 people have reportedly been killed in the last fortnight.
Ethics Vanguard vowed to sustain pressure until a new minister is appointed—one who will treat Nigeria’s security crisis as a national emergency, not a political appointment.
