A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), has cautioned that the recent confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a Nigerian Navy officer in Abuja poses “a clear and present danger to national security.”
He urged the authorities to take swift corrective measures to prevent a breakdown of discipline within the Armed Forces.
In a statement shared on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, Buratai criticized Wike’s conduct during the altercation, describing it as behaviour that “goes far beyond administrative excesses” and “strikes at the core of military authority and the Commander-in-Chief’s mandate.”
Reports indicate that the clash occurred at Plot 1946 in Gaduwa District, Abuja, following a disagreement over ownership and development rights to a piece of land allegedly associated with a former Chief of Naval Staff.
Wike, who was accompanied by top officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority, had reportedly gone to the site to stop what he called an “illegal construction” when he confronted a naval officer said to be supervising the property.
In a viral video of the incident, Wike was seen expressing outrage at the officer’s presence, insisting that no individual, regardless of their military affiliation, was above the law.
“You are in uniform, and you’re telling me that the Navy owns this land? Who gave you the right to build without approval? Even if you are the Chief of Naval Staff, the law must be respected,” Wike was heard saying in the video clip.
The officer responded that the property belonged to a former service chief and that the military had authorisation to protect it.
However, Buratai, in his reaction, said the minister’s tone and public rebuke of a uniformed officer amounted to “a reckless act that strikes at the core of Nigeria’s command and control structure.”
He said, “A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline that strikes at the very foundation of our national security apparatus. It is not political theatre—it is a reckless endangerment of national order.”
He added, “This action by Wike is clearly an indication of undermining the Federal Government’s authority. It disrespects the Commander-in-Chief and wounds the morale of every officer who serves under the Nigerian flag.”
Buratai, who served as Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff from 2015 to 2021, urged President Bola Tinubu to treat the matter as a national security concern.
“Barrister Nyesom Wike must tender an immediate and unequivocal public apology to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Commander-in-Chief, to the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and to the specific officer whose honour was violated,” he declared.
“The integrity of our Armed Forces demands nothing less. Our nation’s security must come first. It is time for decisive action, not politics of military bashing,” he added.
