By George Ozalla
The Federal Ministry of Defence and the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Defence, Leah Katung-Babatunde, have separately dismissed reports alleging that the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd.), has resigned from office, describing the claim as false, malicious and the handiwork of mischief makers.
The reports, which circulated on several social media platforms, claimed that the minister had stepped down from office. The claims were, however, met with swift rebuttals from both the ministry and the minister’s media office, which insisted that no such development had taken place.
In a public disclaimer, the Ministry of Defence said there was no truth in the report, stressing that General Musa remains the Minister of Defence and continues to discharge his responsibilities.
The ministry described the report as false and urged Nigerians not to be misled by the information in circulation.
According to the statement, the report was the handiwork of mischief makers whose intention was to spread false information and create unnecessary concern among members of the public.
It advised Nigerians to disregard the report in its entirety and rely only on official communication from the Ministry of Defence on matters relating to the minister and the activities of the ministry.
The ministry also cautioned media organisations, bloggers and social media users against publishing or circulating unverified information, noting that such reports have the capacity to misinform the public.
Similarly, in a separate statement, the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, dismissed the report as “a malicious and entirely fabricated rumour.”
Katung-Babatunde said the claim that General Musa had resigned was “an absolute falsehood borne out of complete mischief” and urged members of the public to ignore it.
According to her, the minister remains in office and is fully focused on the responsibilities entrusted to him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
She said General Musa continues to carry out his duties as Minister of Defence.
The media aide urged journalists and media organisations to verify information through the Office of the Minister of Defence before publication, rather than relying on unverified social media posts.
She also appealed to bloggers and users of social media platforms to refrain from sharing information whose authenticity had not been confirmed, warning that the spread of false reports could mislead the public.
Both statements urged Nigerians to disregard the purported resignation and advised the public to rely on official channels for information relating to the Ministry of Defence and the Minister.
