Defence Minister Musa says last Maiduguri bomb was planned to deter Tinubu's UK visit.

The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has claimed that the most recent bomb explosions in Maiduguri, Borno State, were intended to deter President Bola Tinubu from travelling to the United Kingdom.

Musa made the statement during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, while discussing the country’s security situation and anti‑terrorism efforts.

He said that Nigeria has seen a marked decline in bomb attacks compared with previous years, when vehicle‑borne and body‑borne improvised explosive devices were common.

According to the Defence Minister, bombings are now rare and some recent incidents may carry political motives.

Specifically, Musa alleged that the Maiduguri explosions were deliberately staged to undermine the president ahead of his UK visit, either to prevent the trip or to weaken his position while abroad.

He described the situation as unfortunate and urged Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used to destabilise the country.

Musa warned that permitting insecurity to destroy the nation would have severe consequences for citizens, noting that refugees from troubled countries often face discrimination overseas.

Drawing on his experiences in conflict‑affected nations such as Sierra Leone and Liberia, the minister stressed the need for Nigerians to unite in confronting 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 Maiduguri, Borno State, were meant to dissuade the President from visiting the 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, 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.”