Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, has faulted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for defying the advice of top military chiefs before confronting a naval officer, Lieutenant Commander Yerima, at a disputed property site in Abuja, while calling for respect for country’s Armed Forces.
Matawalle who described the incident as unfortunate, said 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.
Speaking in an interview with DCL Hausa, Dr. Matawalle described the incident as unfortunate and said 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 the naval officer only acted according to instructions and had shown discipline and respect during the exchange.
“He (Wike) is our colleague, and Wike could have reached out to us to resolve whatever issue. The officer’s action was lawful—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 the Defence Minister, the officer did not violate any military rule and conducted himself properly throughout the encounter.
“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.
He further cautioned that government officials must show respect to members of the Armed Forces, noting that disrespect to a uniformed officer indirectly undermines the authority of the President as Commander-in-Chief.
“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 remarks were not meant to justify indiscipline within the military but to emphasise the importance of following command procedures.
“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.
The Defence Minister revealed that Wike ignored the advice and instead rushed to the site to personally confront the officers.
“However, he did not wait and instead went straight to the site. As a leader, he ought to have exercised patience and waited for the outcome of the investigation,” Matawalle said.
He added that the Chief of Naval Staff had also assured Wike that an inquiry would be conducted, yet the FCT Minister still proceeded to the location.
“Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an investigation would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait. It was supposed to be a one-day inquiry, but he chose to go there and confront them,” the minister noted.
Matawalle confirmed that the Chief of Naval Staff has since visited the disputed area to begin a formal investigation into the ownership of the land.
“Now that the Chief of Naval Staff has visited the area—since it involves a land dispute—the matter will be investigated to know who owns the lawful documents,” he said.
He added that any revocation of the land should have followed proper administrative and diplomatic procedures rather than confrontation.
“If the land has been revoked, there are established procedures to be followed diplomatically,” Matawalle said.
The Defence Minister disclosed that the Ministry of Defence has not received any formal complaint from Wike over the incident but noted that he personally reached out to the FCT Minister after the video went viral.
“We have not received any formal complaint from Wike, but I called him after the video went viral and advised that he should have spoken with me before going there, rather than confronting the officers directly,” Matawalle concluded.
