A heated confrontation broke out on Tuesday between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and some soldiers in Abuja over access to a disputed property.
In a video circulating on social media, Wike was seen engaging in a tense exchange with the soldiers who reportedly blocked officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from gaining entry to a site within the city.
The Minister, visibly angry, accused the soldiers of obstructing lawful government officials despite lacking proper documentation for the property in question. He was heard saying, “Shut up, keep quiet, you are a fool. As at the time I graduated, you were still in primary school. You send soldiers to intimidate who? We are all from this country. If not for the CDS who spoke to me now, you would have had to kill everybody here. I’m not one of those that you can intimidate.”
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Reacting to the incident, Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, explained in a post on his official Facebook page that the altercation followed the attempt of the FCTA Department of Development Control to halt illegal construction on the disputed land.
According to Olayinka, “Because he was told to stop building on a land he has no title document and building approval, former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, sent his armed military security details to attack men of the FCTA Department of Development Control. He also stationed armed military men to protect the illegal development, with the military men threatening to shoot anyone who interfered with them.”
He added that Wike visited the site after speaking with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on the phone to resolve the situation.
The development has sparked mixed reactions online, with many Nigerians calling for a proper investigation into the ownership of the land and the conduct of the military personnel involved.