Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has come under intense public criticism following his heated confrontation with a naval officer during an enforcement exercise at a disputed property in Gaduwa District, Abuja. The incident, which has gone viral on social media, has sparked outrage among Nigerians and reignited debates over abuse of power, civil-military relations, and ministerial conduct.
In the video clip, Wike was seen exchanging harsh words with a naval officer said to be representing a former Chief of Naval Staff over an alleged illegal occupation of government land. The minister accused the officer of obstructing official duties, while the officer maintained that the property was lawfully acquired. The altercation reached a boiling point when Wike called the officer a “fool,” a remark that drew immediate backlash from the public and former military figures.
U.S.-based Nigerian scholar and columnist, Professor Farooq Kperogi, was among the first to condemn the minister’s behaviour. In his article titled Three Quick Thoughts on Wike and Yerima, Kperogi described Wike as “a vicious, power-drunk pocket tyrant” and praised the young officer, identified as Lt. A.M. Yerima, for maintaining composure in the face of provocation. According to him, Yerima’s calm defiance represented “a moral victory over tyranny.”
Kperogi accused Wike of “gerontocratic arrogance” and “reverse ageism,” saying the minister attempted to humiliate the officer because of his youth. “Who cares if Wike is older than Methuselah, especially when he behaves like a rambunctious toddler uneasily stuck in an adult’s body?” he wrote.
Retired Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, also faulted the minister’s action, describing it as “a clear and present danger to national security.” In a statement on his verified Facebook page, Buratai said Wike’s conduct undermined military authority and discipline, warning that it could erode the respect due to the Commander-in-Chief and the Armed Forces. He called for an “unreserved public apology” to both the military institution and the officer involved.
Similarly, the Coalition of Retired Veterans condemned the incident and demanded that Wike apologise publicly. The group, through its spokesman, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, described the minister’s words as “demeaning to the dignity of public office.” It warned against any disciplinary action being taken against the officer, saying such a move would be resisted. “Leadership should be about restraint, not aggression,” the group said.
But amid growing criticism, some voices have risen in Wike’s defence. All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Joe Igbokwe, argued that the naval officer acted provocatively, accusing him of insubordination and alleging that certain “powerful interests” were using the confrontation to sabotage the minister’s land reform efforts.
“What this small boy displayed today represents evil,” Igbokwe wrote on Facebook. “Those lands were stolen, and Wike is trying to clean up the mess. For over 30 years, FCT ministers were from the North, and nobody complained. Now that Wike is doing the right thing, the system is fighting back.”
Public affairs analyst, Adedamola Adetayo, popularly known as #BalogunKakanfo1, also backed Wike, warning that the naval officer’s conduct, if backed by a retired service chief, posed a national security risk. “The minister represents the authority of the Commander-in-Chief,” he said. “Undermining him in public could set a dangerous precedent.”
While the Nigerian Navy has yet to issue a formal reaction, its spokesman, A. Adams-Aliyu, told reporters there would be “no reply for now.”
Wike, for his part, has defended his actions, insisting that his intervention was lawful and aimed at reclaiming government property. “I don’t understand how someone who once held that position cannot approach my office to resolve a land issue but instead feels entitled to use his uniform to intimidate Nigerians,” he said.
The minister maintained that he would not back down from his campaign to restore the Abuja Master Plan and reclaim encroached government lands. “We won’t allow anyone, no matter how highly placed, to grab government land,” he declared.
He added that he had already discussed the matter with the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff, who promised to address the situation internally.
As outrage and counterarguments continue to swirl, the Abuja land dispute has evolved beyond a mere altercation. It now serves as a litmus test for the limits of executive power, the sanctity of military discipline, and the fragile balance between authority and accountability in Nigeria’s democratic space.
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