The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has described Tuesday’s confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer, Lieutenant A. Yerima, over an alleged land dispute, as unnecessary and avoidable.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the standoff arose from a disagreement over the ownership of a piece of land in Gaduwa District in Abuja guarded by armed naval officers led by Yerima, who was said to be acting on the orders of a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo (retd.).
Wike had accused the ex-naval chief of illegally seizing the land, as seen in a video obtained by The PUNCH, which showed the visibly angry FCT minister confronting the officer.
In an interview with DCL Hausa, released on its YouTube channel on Wednesday, Matawalle said the incident should have been resolved through official channels rather than a public exchange.
He revealed that Wike had earlier contacted both the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff, who advised him to allow the military to investigate the matter before taking any action.
“What happened between Minister Wike and the officer is unfortunate. When he got there, the officer explained that he was simply obeying orders given to him. Wike should not have exchanged words with the officer; he ought to have addressed his concerns through the officer’s superiors,” the minister said.
Matawalle explained that Yerima acted strictly on instructions and maintained a professional and disciplined attitude throughout the encounter.
“He (Wike) is our colleague, and Wike could have reached out to us to resolve whatever issue. The officer’s action was lawful because he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders. Therefore, the young officer only carried out his duty worthy of commendation,” he stated.
According to him, the officer did not violate any military rule and conducted himself properly.
“He did not commit any offence under military regulations; he merely obeyed a lawful order and followed due process. If you observe carefully, he spoke respectfully and conducted himself properly,” Matawalle added.
The minister further cautioned public officials against disrespecting uniformed personnel, stressing that doing so undermines the authority of the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“There is, therefore, no offence under military law for which he should be charged. Wike should not have engaged him in an altercation, especially out of respect for the uniform he was wearing. Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. There is, therefore, no basis for any punishment against the officer,” he said.
Matawalle clarified that his comments were not an endorsement of military indiscipline but a reminder of the importance of following the chain of command.
“This is not about supporting the military to act disrespectfully toward civilians. The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors. I gathered that he called the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to wait for an investigation,” he explained.
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