Nigeria's defence minister has resigned, the presidency said on Monday, as the country reeled from a security crisis including mass kidnappings of schoolchildren.

The departure of Mohammed Badaru Abubakar came after President Bola Tinubu declared a "nationwide security emergency" last week as the country scrambled to respond to a wave of mass kidnappings that have seen hundreds of people, mostly schoolchildren, captured within days last month.

Tinubu's spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement that Abubakar, 63, was quitting with immediate effect, on health grounds.

"His resignation comes amid President Tinubu's declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in due course," the spokesman said.

Africa's most populous country has long experienced in

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