The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, engaged in a heated confrontation with soldiers on Tuesday over access to a property within the territory. The tense standoff, captured in a video circulating on social media, showed the minister and officials from the FCT Administration (FCTA) clashing with the military over the land.
In the footage, Wike could be seen confronting the soldiers, demanding that they stop blocking FCTA officials. He argued that the soldiers were acting on behalf of individuals who lacked proper documentation for the property. One soldier, however, insisted that he was merely following orders.
“Shut up, keep quiet, you are a fool. As at the time I graduated, you were still in primary school,” Wike reportedly shouted during the altercation. “You send soldiers to intimidate who? We are all from this country. If not for the Chief of Defence Staff who spoke to me, you would have had to kill everybody here. I’m not one of those that you can intimidate.”
The confrontation escalated as the soldier defended his actions, insisting that all measures taken on the land were legitimate. Exchanges between Wike and the officer included:
- Soldier: “Sir, everything was acquired legally. Sir, you get the point.”
- Wike: “Will you stop that?”
- Soldier: “Sir, I’m an officer, I have integrity.”
- Wike: “Shut up!”
- Soldier: “Sir, I will not shut up. Sir, I won’t shut up. Sir, you can’t shut me up.”
The minister, visibly enraged, labeled the soldier “a big fool,” but the officer stood firm, insisting he was acting on orders. The standoff drew attention from nearby residents and FCTA officials, highlighting the tension between government authorities and the military over land disputes in the territory.
This incident is the latest in a series of confrontations linked to land ownership and demolition exercises under Wike’s tenure. As of press time, neither the Nigerian Army nor the FCTA has released an official statement regarding the incident.
In a reaction posted on Facebook, Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, accused former Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo of sending armed military personnel to protect an allegedly illegal development. According to Olayinka, the soldiers threatened to shoot anyone interfering with the construction. The FCT Minister reportedly visited the site after speaking with the Chief of Defence Staff.
