The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has alleged that the last bomb explosions in Maiduguri, Borno State, were intended to discourage President Bola Tinubu from visiting the United Kingdom.
Musa made the claim during an interview on Arise Television on Friday while speaking on the country’s security situation and efforts to combat terrorism.
According to him, Nigeria has witnessed a significant reduction in bomb attacks compared to previous years when incidents involving vehicle-borne and body-borne improvised explosive devices were frequent.
He said bomb explosions are now rare and suggested that some of the recent incidents may have political undertones.
The Defence Minister specifically alleged that the explosions in Maiduguri were deliberately planned to undermine the president ahead of his UK visit.
According to Musa, the intention was either to stop Tinubu from making the trip or weaken his position while abroad.
He described the development as unfortunate and appealed to Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used to destabilise the country.
Musa warned that allowing insecurity and instability to destroy the country would have severe consequences for citizens, noting that people who flee troubled nations often face discrimination abroad.
Drawing from his experiences in countries affected by conflict, including Sierra Leone and Liberia, the minister stressed the need for Nigerians to unite in addressing insecurity and preventing further violence.
Musa said, “In the past, you used to hear bombs exploding from here and there. You keep on hearing about vehicle-borne IED, body-borne IED, and all these things.
“You don’t hear them now. You hear them maybe once in a while here and there, and most of it is political.
“I can say the last ones that happened in Maidugri, Borno State, were meant to dissuade the President from visiting UK.
“It was deliberate, and if you look at it, who and why? What was the intent?
“The intent is to make sure that the president doesn’t go there (UK), or even if he goes there, he doesn’t have any leverage to want to speak.
“And to tell you that is intentional. People deliberately planned that and conducted that just to make that point. It’s very unfortunate but we want to appeal to Nigerians not to allow anybody to use them for whatever reason.
“Your country is your country. If you allow your country to get destroyed, you go to another person’s country, you’ll be a second-class citizen.
“We have seen it happen. I was in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and different places, war is not good. It’s important that we come together, address this issue and stop it.”
