Wike–Naval Officer Clash Sparks Outrage: Ex-Generals Fume as Defence Ministry Orders Full Investigation

The recent altercation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer identified as Lieutenant Commander A. Yerima has ignited a storm of controversy across Nigeria’s civil and military establishments. What began as a heated exchange over a disputed parcel of land in Abuja has snowballed into a national debate on power, discipline, and respect for institutional hierarchy within Nigeria’s democratic space.

The clash, which was captured in a viral video, showed the visibly furious FCT Minister confronting the naval officer, who was reportedly guarding a property allegedly linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo (retd.). The land, according to Wike, was illegally occupied — but to Yerima, the officer on site, his presence was not a personal decision but an order from a superior officer. That conflict between civil authority and military obedience has now triggered outrage, investigation, and calls for restraint from the highest quarters.

A Clash that Stirred the Nation

The confrontation, which took place on November 11, 2025, in the Mabushi district of Abuja, immediately spread across social media platforms, drawing condemnation and commentary from citizens, veterans, and constitutional experts. The spectacle of an FCT Minister berating a uniformed officer on official duty was jarring to many who viewed it as a breach of decorum and a potential affront to Nigeria’s Armed Forces.

In response to the public uproar, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, announced that the Federal Government had ordered a full-scale investigation into the incident. Addressing journalists during a press briefing at the National Defence College, Abuja, as part of the activities for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the Defence Minister assured Nigerians that the matter would be handled with utmost fairness and transparency.

“At the ministry, and indeed within the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers performing lawful duties,” Badaru declared. “We are looking into the issue carefully. Any officer acting under legitimate instructions and within the confines of the law will be protected. We will not allow intimidation or abuse of those who serve this country diligently.”

The Defence Minister also commended Lt. Cmdr. Yerima for his composure during the confrontation, implying that the officer’s restraint was a mark of professionalism despite the provocation he faced.

Ex-Generals Express Displeasure

However, the assurances did little to calm the wave of anger within Nigeria’s retired military community. Several former generals who spoke to DOYA News described the confrontation as “an unfortunate symbol of declining respect for the Armed Forces.”

Among the most vocal critics was former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), who publicly demanded that Minister Wike tender an apology to President Bola Tinubu, the Armed Forces, and the officer involved. Writing on his verified Facebook page, Buratai expressed “deep concern” over the Minister’s behaviour, calling it “an affront to the command structure of the Nigerian state.”

According to Buratai, “The public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces by a sitting minister transcends mere misconduct. It represents a palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity. A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer is an act of profound indiscipline that strikes at the core of our nation’s command and control structure. It deliberately undermines the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and wounds the morale of those who wear the uniform.”

Buratai’s statement, widely circulated across media platforms, resonated with many veterans who viewed the clash not just as a personal outburst but as a symbolic challenge to the sanctity of Nigeria’s civil–military relations.

Retired Brigadier General Peter Aro, also reacting to the incident, told DOYA News that the event went beyond personalities and highlighted the urgent need for mutual respect between political appointees and the military institution.

“The clash between Minister Wike and the young naval officer reflects how power should and should not be exercised in a democracy,” Aro stated. “The officer was merely obeying the chain of command — acting on instructions from his superior, a former Chief of Naval Staff. His duty was to follow lawful orders, not to improvise or bow to political intimidation.”

Aro, however, noted that while Wike had the authority to question irregularities in land ownership within the FCT, his chosen method was wrong. “As Minister of the FCT, Wike has every right to challenge any illegal occupation of land. But there are lawful channels to do so — such as writing to the Minister of Defence or seeking redress in court. Public confrontation of a uniformed officer on duty undermines institutional respect and exposes the government’s internal discord.”

Retired Brigadier General Bashir Adewinbi shared similar sentiments, describing the incident as “unbecoming of a senior government official.” In his words, “The military is under the command of the President, the Commander-in-Chief. Any confrontation with a military officer is indirectly a confrontation with the Commander-in-Chief himself. It was totally avoidable and should not be tolerated.”

Wike’s Camp Defends Him

Despite the backlash, Wike’s media team stood firmly behind their principal. Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Publicity and Communications to the FCT Minister, said the altercation was the result of a long-running land scam that misled even a former Chief of Naval Staff.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Olayinka explained that the contentious plot of land was originally allocated in 2007 to a private company, Santos Estate Limited, strictly for park and recreation use. The company, according to him, later sought to convert it to commercial use in 2022 — a request the FCT Administration rejected.

“Despite that rejection,” Olayinka said, “the company went ahead and partitioned the land, selling portions to private individuals, including Vice Admiral Gambo. That act was not only illegal but a deliberate encroachment on public property. The former CNS was misled. Rather than seek proper redress, he allegedly deployed soldiers to guard the site.”

Olayinka insisted that Wike’s actions were aimed at reclaiming public property, not attacking the military. “That land was designated for public and corporate buildings, not private residences. Even if Admiral Gambo thought he owned the land, he had no valid title documents or approved building plans. The minister acted to enforce the law, not to intimidate anyone.”

A Legal Minefield: Who Is Right?

As the public debate raged, constitutional experts and lawyers waded into the controversy with sharply divided opinions. One of Nigeria’s foremost legal minds, Professor Sebastine Hon (SAN), took a different stance from the retired generals. In a detailed Facebook post, Hon argued that Yerima, the naval officer, had overstepped the boundaries of lawful military conduct by blocking the minister’s access to the site.

“Brushing sentiments aside,” Hon wrote, “I condemn the actions of the naval officer who obstructed the FCT Minister under the guise of obeying superior orders. The Supreme Court has long established that no soldier is bound to obey an illegal order. Guarding a private construction site — especially one mired in ownership controversy — is not a lawful duty.”

The Senior Advocate cited landmark Supreme Court judgments, including Onunze v. State (2023) and Nigeria Air Force v. James (2002), to support his position. “No service regulation permits a soldier to serve as private security for an individual’s personal property,” he said, adding that “the order itself was illegal, and so was the obedience.”

Hon also reminded Nigerians that the FCT Minister acts as the President’s representative under Sections 297 and 302 of the 1999 Constitution. “By law, the President delegates his powers over land in Abuja to the Minister of the FCT. On that day, Wike was acting in loco of the President. Therefore, obstructing him was equivalent to obstructing the President himself.”

Yet, even among lawyers, opinions differed. Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Simon Lough, agreed that Wike had the constitutional power to oversee land matters in Abuja but faulted the manner in which he exercised that power. “The minister represents the President, no doubt. But he did not need to personally confront a military officer. That reduced the dignity of his office,” Lough said.

He continued, “If the land was wrongly acquired, Wike should have written formally to the Chief of Defence Staff or the Minister of Defence. Going there in person escalated tension unnecessarily.”

Lough also observed that the officer’s presence at the site raised questions of legality: “A soldier’s duty is to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity, not to guard the private residence of a retired officer. That, in itself, is an abuse of military resources.”

Between Power and Restraint

Other legal commentators struck a more balanced tone, suggesting that both parties shared blame. An Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, told DOYA News that the entire episode was a reflection of Nigeria’s “fragile democracy and the misuse of power by both sides.”

“Wike may have acted within his administrative rights,” he said, “but his approach was reckless. On the other hand, the officer acted outside his professional boundaries. This should never have happened in a disciplined democracy.”

Olajengbesi emphasized that no minister has authority over serving military officers, regardless of their rank. “The Armed Forces Act vests operational command solely in the President, exercised through the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs. A minister cannot issue orders to a soldier — that’s a constitutional overreach,” he warned.

He further cautioned that allowing such public confrontations to go unpunished could lead to a dangerous precedent: “Tomorrow, another politician might slap a soldier, and another soldier might retaliate against a civilian. This is how institutional collapse begins.”

The Broader Implications

Beyond the immediate altercation, the incident underscores a deeper issue — the fragile balance between Nigeria’s civilian authority and its powerful military establishment. Since the return to democracy in 1999, civil–military relations have often been marked by mutual suspicion, occasional overreach, and blurred lines of authority.

For analysts, the Wike–Yerima confrontation illustrates both the strength and weakness of Nigerian democracy: the willingness of civilians to challenge authority, and the persistent misunderstanding of constitutional boundaries.

“The FCT is a symbol of national order,” said political analyst Dr. Okechukwu Nnadi. “When the minister in charge of the capital city publicly clashes with a uniformed officer, it sends the wrong message to the public and the international community. It suggests disunity at the heart of governance.”

A Nation Awaits the Outcome

As the Ministry of Defence continues its investigation, Nigerians are waiting to see whether the government will discipline any of the actors involved — or whether the matter will quietly fade into the background, as many controversies before it have.

But for now, one thing is clear: the clash between Nyesom Wike and Lt. Cmdr. A. Yerima has reopened a national conversation about power, accountability, and the rule of law in Nigeria’s fragile democracy.

It has also reignited old questions about Abuja’s land administration system — a system long plagued by corruption, overlapping claims, and powerful individuals who often treat public spaces as personal estates.

Whether the Defence Ministry’s probe leads to justice or just another round of political theatre remains to be seen. But as DOYA News has learned from multiple sources, the ripple effects of that single confrontation now extend far beyond a patch of contested soil in Mabushi — to the very heart of Nigeria’s governance and its uneasy relationship with the men and women in uniform.