Christopher Musa, a retired Chief of Defence Staff, is now Nigeria’s Defence Minister. Musa, a Sokoto-born officer who reached to the highest level in Nigeria’s military, retired on October 30, 2025, after two years of distinguished service as Chief of Defence Staff.
President Tinubu appointed him to the office on June 19, 2023. When Musa took his final bow from the Nigerian military, he most likely believed he had retired from public life entirely.
His wife, associates, and friends may be concerned about his short stay as Chief of Defence Staff. When he departed, some said that he was compelled to leave government because he allowed some soldiers to plot a supposed coup, which was prevented under his watch.
As he retires, fate calls. True, if humans do not rush or become impatient, they will undoubtedly reach their destination. When fate meets destiny, fulfilling aspirations and desires becomes simple.
Musa, who had gone home after the final parade to celebrate his decades of devotion to the military, Nigeria, and the people, now becomes the most sought-after suspect in the country’s string of abductions and killings since he resigned.
Analysts claimed that killings and kidnappings increased when Christopher Musa departed as Chief of Defence Staff. True, Nigeria was not free of instability during Musa’s two years as Chief of Defence Staff, but it was modest in comparison to recurring occurrences of mass kidnapping in Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara, among others.
Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, the former governor of Jigawa state, resigned as defense minister on health concerns. President Bola Tinubu forwarded Christopher Musa’s nomination to the Senate for confirmation. He was confirmed by the Senate and is now the Defence Minister.
He has joined the ranks of military officers who have served as Nigeria’s defense minister. Nigeria has had six military ministers, ranging from General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (1999-2003) to General Amity Mohammed Gusau (2014-2015), Brigadier General Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali (2015-2019), Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (2019-2023), and General Christopher Musa (2025-present).
16 things you probably did not know about Christopher Musa, a former Chief of Defence Staff now Nigeria’s Minister of Defence
He was born on December 25, 1967 in Sokoto, Nigeria
He hails from from Zangon Kataf, Kaduna State
He began his primary education at Marafa Danbaba Primary School in Sokoto
He later attended Model Primary School, Dorowa Road, Sokoto
He then proceeded to Federal Government College, Sokoto, for his secondary education
He attended the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria
He also attended the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Chemistry in 1991
He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1991
He served as a theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai (2021-2023)
He led counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast
He served as a commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps (2023)
He oversaw infantry operations nationwide as a Chief of Defence Staff (2023-2025)
He coordinated joint military operations and strengthened national security
He received several awards, including the Colin Powell Meritorious Award for Soldiering (2022) and the Nelson Mandela Exemplary Leadership Award (2022)
He is married to Lilian Oghogho Musa and has four children
He is a Christian and belongs to the Atyap ethnic group