Allies of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, and a coalition of retired military officers on Friday took opposing positions over whether a naval officer Lt. Ahmed Yerima, should face sanctions following his confrontation with the minister at a disputed Abuja land.
Wike and the naval officer clashed on Tuesday over the land purportedly belonging to a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo (retd).
The minister accused the retired military chief of carrying out illegal development on the land and confronted Yerima for allegedly assaulting personnel of the Federal Capital Development Authority, who had gone to halt the ongoing construction.
In a viral video seen by Saturday PUNCH, Wike questioned the military officers’ presence on the disputed land, insisting that the ex-naval chief had no legal documents to back his claim to the property.
However, Yerima told the minister that he and his men were acting on superior orders and could not vacate the land as demanded.
Briefing journalists ahead of the FCT Executive Council meeting on Thursday, Wike condemned what he described as the retired naval chief’s impunity in deploying serving officers to guard the disputed property.
Responding to critics who faulted his visit to the site, the minister said he could not sit idly as a public officer while government officials were being attacked.
‘Tinubu must sack or redeploy Wike’
Speaking at a press conference in Kaduna on Friday, the military veterans slammed the FCT minister and described his actions as “demeaning,” “unacceptable,” and “a direct insult to the Armed Forces and the Commander-in-Chief.”
The coalition, comprising retired generals and other senior military officers from the Army, Air Force, and Navy, called on President Tinubu to sack or redeploy the minister.
The group warned that should the President fail to act, it would “mobilise and occupy” the FCT ministry until Wike was removed.
Delivering the main address, a member of the Board of Trustees of the coalition, Col. Yusuf Ibrahim (retd.), said it was embarrassing for Wike to call the naval officer a fool in the viral clip.
He argued that the naval officer was acting on lawful instructions, adding that insulting him amounted to belittling state authority.
“Not everyone is worthy of certain offices they occupy. We are taken aback that a public office holder could call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera. If Wike was responsible, shouldn’t he have engaged the Chief of Naval Staff privately rather than trying to disgrace a very senior retired general? Who the hell is Wike?” Ibrahim queried.
He added that Wike must apologise to the Nigerian Armed Forces, the young officer involved, and President Tinubu.
Corroborating this, another member of the coalition, Dr. Awwal Abdullahi, who introduced himself as a Deputy Veteran Commander at the briefing, accused the minister of showing a pattern of hostility toward military personnel.
He said, “If the President refuses to sack Wike, we will mobilise and occupy the Ministry of FCT until he is removed.”
Abdullahi described the veterans’ gathering as a representation of the entire retired military community.
He argued that removing the minister would not harm the administration, adding that the veterans could no longer tolerate what they described as Wike’s arrogance.
But speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the Senior Special Assistant on Publicity and Communications to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, said the military veterans’ demand was within their constitutional right.
He added that the minister had clarified his position on Thursday and there was no need for further comments on the matter.
‘Naval officer should be probed’
Throwing its weight behind the minister, a civil society group, the National Coalition for Democratic Integrity, called for an investigation into the conduct of the naval officer.
The coalition said appropriate disciplinary measures consistent with military ethics should be imposed on the officer if found culpable.
The President of the NCDI, Kiki Kiki, in a statement on Friday, condemned the officer’s actions, which he said was grossly disrespectful to a senior government official representing the President.
He noted that obstructing the minister and other officials from performing their duties was a direct affront to the principles of civilian oversight and constitutional order, which are the foundation of Nigeria’s democracy.
Kiki added that the officer’s actions also undermined the core values of discipline and respect that define the military profession.
“Such conduct, if left unchecked, risks sending the wrong signal to the public and to the rank and file within the security services that insubordination and contempt for civil authority can be tolerated. That would set a dangerous precedent.
“We must be unequivocal in condemning the deplorable and utterly unacceptable conduct of Officer Yerima against the FCT Minister. No individual in uniform or in public office is above the law or beyond accountability.
“The dignity of civilian leadership must be respected, not as a matter of ego, but as a safeguard for the order and stability of our democracy,” he added.
Similarly, another group, the Northern Christian Youth Professionals, described the incident as “a grave violation of democratic order” and a dangerous precedent that could undermine civilian authority, the core of constitutional governance.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its Chairman, Isaac Abrak, NCYP argued that preventing a minister from accessing land under his jurisdiction “is ultra vires, unconstitutional, and an affront to the authority of the President,” whose mandate the minister exercises on behalf of Nigerians.
NCYP noted that the land in question was not a military installation but private property reportedly linked to a retired naval admiral, emphasising that no law empowers serving military personnel to guard private estates or obstruct a sitting minister performing official duties.
The group described the alleged deployment as “an egregious overreach of military authority.”
While faulting some of Wike’s comments during the exchange, NCYP insisted that the minister’s tone did not justify what it called “a constitutional breach” by the naval officer and those who authorised his deployment.
The group called on President Bola Tinubu to investigate the deployment of naval personnel to the property and discipline all officers involved.
It also urged Wike to apologise to the military institution for any inappropriate language, while insisting that the Navy must apologise to the FCT Administration and ensure no officer is deployed to block civil authorities again.
Kachikwu defends Wike
Meanwhile, former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Dumebi Kachikwu, said the Wike–Yerima clash reflected a deeper national intolerance.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Kachikwu argued that the controversy exposed growing national intolerance and a tendency to justify illegality once the target was a disliked public figure.
He accused a “vocal minority” of driving the outrage, asserting that their reaction was shaped not by the facts of the incident but by longstanding resentment toward Wike.
Describing the uproar as “unacceptable,” Kachikwu urged President Tinubu to intervene, noting that the behaviour of some senior officials, including the Minister of Defence, suggested they had “taken sides” without proper context.
He said, “Speaking on this odious saga between Wike and Yerima is extremely difficult because it is another example of a very vocal minority having their say and their way.
“Everyone tries to avoid this vocal minority, especially when they are baying for blood, and in this case, they believe they finally have the minister where they want him, defenceless.
“Today I weep for Nigeria because we are becoming a nation fuelled by hate for anything government. Their hatred for this man, perceived as a bully and the President’s bulldog, has clouded their judgement.”
Questioning selective judgment, Kachikwu argued that both Wike and the naval officer had been provoked during the clash, yet public anger focused solely on the minister.
He maintained that Wike acted in his official capacity as FCT minister and presidential representative, insisting that the officer had obstructed legitimate government work while acting on the instructions of a retired general.
Military sources rule out sanctions
Meanwhile, indications suggest that Yerima may not face any disciplinary action despite the public attention the incident has generated.
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, said the government was investigating the matter but stressed that military personnel on legitimate duty would not be punished.
The minister’s clarification came in response to strong reactions from ex-military chiefs, including former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), who demanded that Wike apologise to Tinubu, the Nigerian Armed Forces, and the officer involved.
Buratai, in a Facebook post on Tuesday night, described Wike’s conduct as inappropriate and disrespectful to the military.
Speaking in a separate interview with our correspondent on Friday, senior military officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, ruled out sanctions for the naval officer, insisting he acted within military procedure.
One officer said, “The Nigerian Armed Forces operate strictly within the legal framework of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which defines the limits of both civil authority and military engagement.
“Once troops are lawfully deployed under approved orders, their allegiance is to their operational command and the Constitution, not to any transient expression of political will.”
Another senior officer reinforced this stance, saying the officer fulfilled his obligation to the military leadership.
“He did what the military leadership instructed,” the officer said.
“The legality of military action is guided by orders, not optics. Once deployed, an officer’s duty is to protect life, maintain order, and uphold the Constitution within clearly defined rules of engagement.
“Political intrusion into that space, however well-intentioned, undermines not only command authority but also the delicate balance of Nigeria’s internal security framework.”
He added, “The military’s authority rests not on intimidation, but on discipline; not on display, but on duty.”
