Wike’s clash with naval officer unnecessary — Minister
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has described Tuesday’s face-off between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer, Lieutenant A. Yerima, over a claimed land dispute, as unnecessary and could have been avoided.
www.cjsoftflix.com had earlier reported that the confrontation stemmed from a disagreement about the ownership of a parcel of land in Gaduwa District, Abuja, which was being guarded by armed naval personnel led by Yerima, reportedly acting under the orders of a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo (retd.).
Wike accused the retired naval chief of unlawfully taking over the land, as seen in a video obtained by www.cjsoftflix.com, which captured the visibly frustrated FCT minister confronting the officer.
In a discussion with DCL Hausa released on its YouTube channel on Wednesday, Matawalle said the matter should have been handled through formal channels rather than a public confrontation.
He mentioned that Wike had earlier reached out to both the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff, who advised him to allow the military to investigate the situation before taking any action.
“What occurred between Minister Wike and the officer is regrettable. When he arrived, the officer explained that he was merely following instructions. Wike should not have engaged in a verbal clash; he should have raised his concerns with the officer’s superiors,” the minister stated.
Matawalle emphasized that Yerima acted strictly according to orders and displayed a professional and disciplined demeanor throughout the encounter.
“He (Wike) is our colleague, and he could have reached out to us to resolve the issue. The officer’s conduct was lawful because he is trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders. Thus, the young officer was just performing his duty and deserves commendation,” he added.
According to him, the officer did not breach any military regulations and behaved appropriately.
“He did not commit any offense under military law; he simply executed a lawful order and followed the correct process. If you watch carefully, he spoke respectfully and acted properly,” Matawalle added.
The minister further warned public officials against showing disrespect to uniformed personnel, noting that such actions undermine the authority of the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“Therefore, there is no military offense for which he should be charged. Wike should not have engaged in an altercation, particularly out of respect for the uniform he was wearing. Disrespecting a soldier indirectly disrespects the President. Hence, there is no justification for any punishment against the officer,” he said.
Matawalle clarified that his remarks were not condoning military indiscipline but served as a reminder of the importance of adhering to the chain of command.
“This is not about supporting the military in showing disrespect toward civilians. The Minister should recognize that every officer has superiors. I understand he contacted the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to await the investigation,” he explained.
He revealed that Wike disregarded this advice and proceeded to confront the officers directly at the location.
“Instead of waiting, he went straight to the site. As a leader, he should have shown patience and allowed the investigation to conclude,” Matawalle said.
The Defence Minister added that the Chief of Naval Staff had also assured Wike that a formal inquiry would be conducted, yet the FCT Minister still went to the disputed site.
“Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him of an investigation. Yet, he still went there. It was meant to be a one-day inquiry, but he chose to confront them,” he noted.
Matawalle confirmed that the Chief of Naval Staff has now visited the disputed area to initiate a formal probe into the land ownership.
“Now that the Chief of Naval Staff has inspected the location—since it concerns a land dispute—the matter will be properly investigated to determine who holds the lawful ownership documents,” he said.
He emphasized that any revocation of the land should follow proper administrative and diplomatic processes rather than confrontation.
“If revocation is necessary, there are established procedures that should be followed diplomatically,” Matawalle stated.
The minister disclosed that, while the Ministry of Defence has yet to receive an official complaint from Wike regarding the incident, he personally contacted the FCT Minister after the video went viral.
“We have not received any formal complaint from Wike, but I reached out to him after the video circulated and advised that he should have spoken with me first, instead of confronting the officers directly,” Matawalle added.
