The confrontation between Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and Naval Lieutenant Ahmad M. Yerima during a land inspection in Abuja’s Gwarimpa area has sparked legal and political debate across the country.
The altercation, which occurred at Plot 1946, Gaduwa District, saw Wike exchange heated words with uniformed personnel after his team was allegedly blocked while enforcing a demolition order.
The viral footage stirred public outrage, with veterans demanding an apology and legal experts weighing in on the limits of military authority. Wike, however, maintained his stance, saying, “I am not one who will succumb to blackmail or intimidation,” insisting that no one not even the military is above the law when it comes to land administration in the FCT.
Wike’s Aide Explains Land Dispute
Mr. Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Publicity and Communications to the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has defended the minister’s actions during Tuesday’s confrontation with a naval officer in Abuja, linking the incident to a land scam involving a former naval chief.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Olayinka said the disputed land was originally allocated in 2007 for park and recreation purposes, not residential or commercial use.
“That particular land was allocated to a company in 2007, Santos Estate Limited, for park and recreation. The company did not do anything on the land because that place is a parkway, it’s a walkway, it’s a road corridor. You don’t build there,” he explained.
Olayinka noted that in 2022, the company applied to the FCT Administration for a change of land use, which was declined. “In 2022, the minister of FCT declined that request. Wike was not the minister then,” he added.
Despite the rejection, the company allegedly partitioned and sold the land to private individuals, including former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (retd).
“Probably in anticipation of the minister’s approval for conversion, the man decided to partition the land, a land allocated to him for park and recreation. He now partitioned the land and sold it to people, including the former Chief of Naval Staff,” Olayinka said.
He criticized Gambo’s response, claiming the retired officer tried to use military influence to assert ownership. “That is why I want to say that the Chief of Naval Staff was scammed. He has realised that he was scammed.
Instead of him to now come out and seek help, he resorted to use military might,” he stated.
Olayinka clarified that the land, located in Mabushi, is designated for public and corporate buildings, not private residences, and that Gambo had no valid title or approved building plan.
“As of today, Vice Admiral Gambo does not have a document, a title document, showing that he owns the land. He does not own the land,” he affirmed.
He further explained the legal requirements for land development: “Assuming we’re not conceding that he has title documents and he owns the land, before you begin development of a land, there are processes you must pass through. One of such processes is to have a building plan… and take your building plan to development control.”
Olayinka’s remarks come after a viral video showed Wike confronting naval personnel guarding the property, sparking public debate over land administration, civil-military relations, and abuse of power in the FCT.
What The Law Says
Constitutional law expert and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Sebastine Hon, described the naval officer’s conduct as a “breach of the law,” arguing that the act of obstructing the FCT Minister “under the guise of obeying superior orders” cannot be justified.
Citing Supreme Court rulings in Onunze v. State (2023) and Nigeria Air Force v. James (2002), Hon explained that military personnel are not bound to obey illegal or unjust orders. He stressed that as FCT Minister, Wike “stood in loco of the President of Nigeria” regarding land administration under Sections 297(2) and 302 of the 1999 Constitution.
Hon added that, “Rather, it is the officer who obstructed him that has breached not just the Nigerian Constitution, but also service and extant regulatory laws.” He further noted that Section 114 of the Armed Forces Act makes military personnel criminally liable for civil offences meaning the officer could face disciplinary action for obstructing a public official in the performance of lawful duties.
Minister Of Defence Reacts
In response to public concerns, Minister of Defence Mohammad Badaru Abubakar affirmed that no soldier would be penalized for carrying out a lawful duty.
Speaking during the launch of the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration, Badaru addressed the issue, stating, “Well, at the Ministry, and indeed the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty.”
He further reassured that military authorities were actively reviewing the matter to ensure fairness and justice. “So we are looking into this issue, and we assure that any officer on lawful duty will be protected highly, so we will not allow anything to happen to him so far he is doing his job, and he’s doing his job greatly well,” he added.
The Defence Minister highlighted that while the government upholds discipline and respect for the rule of law within the armed forces, it also prioritizes the protection of officers who perform their duties responsibly and within the bounds of the law.
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