The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has assured that the Ministry of Defence and the military leadership will protect every soldier carrying out lawful duties across the country. Badaru gave the assurance on Wenesday while addressing journalists in Abuja. His statement came amid growing controversy following Tuesday’s confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and some naval officers over an alleged land-grabbing incident in the Gaduwa District of Abuja. Read Also: FCTA Bans Staff Mobile Phones Shortly After Minister Wike’s Naval Officer Face-Off Responding to questions on the incident, Badaru said the military would not abandon any officer performing legitimate assignments. “At the Ministry, and indeed the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty. We are looking into this issue, and we assure that any officer on lawful duty will be protected highly. We will not allow anything to happen to him so far he is doing his job, and he’s doing it well,” the minister said. The clash, which occurred on Tuesday, involved Wike and a naval officer identified as Lt. A.M. Yerima. A video that circulated on social media showed the visibly angry FCT Minister accusing the officer of unlawfully seizing a parcel of land linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff. “Because you are an officer? Nobody does that. The man took land because he was the Chief of Naval Staff?” Wike said in the video. The incident has since sparked widespread reactions among Nigerians and security experts. Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), condemned Wike’s actions, describing them as a “palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity.” Buratai urged Wike to tender “an immediate and unequivocal apology” to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Armed Forces, and the officer involved. “His public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces transcends mere misconduct; it represents a palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity,” Buratai said, adding that the minister’s action “undermines the chain of command and erodes morale across the armed forces.” Similarly, former Minister of Aviation and ex-Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Osita Chidoka, faulted Wike’s approach, describing it as “a fundamental misstep.” “In a democracy, ministers act through process, not presence. A formal communication to the Minister of Defence, whose office oversees the Armed Forces, would have sufficed. If the officers were on illegal duty, the established disciplinary systems would have addressed it,” Chidoka noted. However, human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi offered a more nuanced perspective, questioning the legality of the naval officer’s presence at the disputed site. “Have you wondered if the order Yerima is obeying is legal? If Wike, Yerima, and the officer who gave the order are subject to the rule of law, would the officer be able to secure a disputed plot of land? I detest Wike’s methods, but my loyalty is to the law and the truth,” he wrote on his X handle. The Ministry of Defence is expected to review the matter and provide further clarification in the coming days.
