Tensions flared on Tuesday between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and an unidentified military officer over a suspected land-grabbing case in Abuja’s Gaduwa District.
The confrontation escalated after soldiers blocked Wike and his entourage from accessing a piece of land in the Gaduwa area, leading to a heated exchange with officials of the capital territory.
“This is unprofessional. You cannot be threatening a minister like this,” one of Wike’s aides told the armed soldiers as the minister and his team attempted to access the land.
The minister, visibly displeased with the situation, challenged the military officers’ actions, emphasizing that no one is above the law.
Wike also raised concerns over the land’s development, alleging that proper procedures were not followed.
“You have no document,” the FCT minister stated during the standoff on Tuesday, but the soldiers held their ground, insisting they were acting on orders. “We cannot continue to act in impunity. We cannot continue this way. This country cannot go along this line.
“You cannot be higher than any government. You cannot be carrying a gun to intimidate anybody. I am not one of those that they can intimidate,” he added.
Following a tense exchange with the military officers, Wike accused them of acting with impunity, pointing out that there is no legal record within the FCTA assigning the land to them.
He pledged that such actions would not be tolerated under his administration.
“It’s really unfortunate. And you heard what was said by the former Chief of Staff,” Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, said.
“I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position, seeing that he has a problem, cannot approach my office to say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on,’ or simply because he is a military man, they could use that to intimidate Nigerians.
“I’m not one of those kinds of people who will succumb to blackmail.”
Despite the minister’s warning, the military officers insisted they would not leave the land, stating they were acting on directives from a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo.
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