Reactions have continued to trail Tuesday’s confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and military officers who allegedly stopped him from accessing a disputed property in Abuja.
The altercation, which saw Wike exchange strong words with a military officer reportedly acting on orders, has generated widespread debate across the country, with prominent Nigerians weighing in on the matter.
In a statement titled “Urgent Action Required as Minister Wike’s Conduct Poses a Clear Threat to National Security,” former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), described Wike’s action as “a palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity.”
Buratai said the Minister’s verbal attack on a uniformed officer amounted to “profound indiscipline” that undermines the chain of command and disrespects the authority of the Commander-in-Chief.
“A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform strikes at the core of our nation’s command structure. It cannot be dismissed as political theatre; it is reckless endangerment of national order,” he said.
The former army chief called on Wike to tender an “immediate and unequivocal public apology” to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Armed Forces, and the officer involved.
Similarly, former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, in a statement titled “Minister Wike: Power, Process, and the Rule of Law,” faulted the Minister’s decision to personally enforce directives at a disputed site.
Chidoka stressed that “in constitutional democracies, power operates through institutions, not impulse,” adding that no minister should act as an enforcer of the law.
“When a minister trades words with a uniformed officer acting under orders — lawful or otherwise — it corrodes discipline and confuses hierarchy,” he said, urging Wike to apologise for his choice of words.
Chidoka also criticised the conduct of the Minister’s security aides, noting that their role was to de-escalate the situation, not inflame it.
However, some Nigerians have defended Wike’s actions.
A member of the House of Representatives representing Bonny/Degema Federal Constituency, Hon. Cyril Hart, cited constitutional provisions to argue that the Minister was acting within his delegated executive powers.
Quoting Sections 5, 144(5), and 148 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Hart said that “all constitutional functions of a Minister are orders from the President,” adding that “the President’s order is superior in force and action to any other in the Federation.”
“It is therefore an act of gross insubordination for any officer to act contrary to a minister acting under presidential authority,” he stated.
Also speaking, Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Princewill Dike, called for the arrest and prosecution of the soldiers who, according to him, “threatened to shoot the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.”
Dike alleged that the soldiers were deployed by a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd), the purported owner of the disputed property.
“What happened was not an attack on Wike, but on the President who delegated him to act on his behalf in matters concerning the FCT,” he said.
The military hierarchy had yet to react to the incident at press time
