The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and officials from the FCT Authority (FCTA) were involved in a heated confrontation with soldiers on Tuesday over access to a property in Abuja.
A video circulating on social media shows Wike in a tense argument with the soldiers, who were reportedly blocking FCTA officials from inspecting the land. Wike insisted the military personnel had no grounds to prevent access, as the owners lacked the proper documents for the property.
“Shut up, keep quiet, you are a fool. As at the time I graduated, you were still in primary school,” Wike was seen shouting.
He also added: “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 to kill everybody here.
I’m not one of those that you can intimidate.”
Commenting on the incident, Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, said in a Facebook post that the confrontation stemmed from unauthorized construction.
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“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.
Today, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, visited the site after talking to the Chief of Defence Staff on the phone,” Olayinka stated.
The clash has reignited discussions about military involvement in civilian matters and raised questions about the enforcement of land regulations in the FCT.