Tension as Wike clashes with soldiers over land dispute
A heated confrontation broke out on Tuesday between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a group of soldiers over a disputed parcel of land in the Gaduwa District of Abuja.
The incident occurred when soldiers reportedly stopped Wike and his entourage from gaining access to the land, prompting an exchange of words between the minister’s team and the armed personnel.
“This is unprofessional. You cannot be threatening a minister like this,” one of the officials accompanying Wike protested as tensions flared at the site.
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Visibly angered by the standoff, Wike questioned the soldiers’ authority and the legality of their occupation of the land, accusing them of operating outside the law.
“You have no document,” Wike said, alleging that proper procedures were not followed in the land’s allocation. “We cannot continue to act in impunity. You cannot be higher than the government or use guns to intimidate anybody. I am not one of those you can intimidate.”
The minister further condemned what he described as the military’s disregard for civil authority, insisting that no such allocation exists in the records of the FCT Administration (FCTA).
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“It’s really unfortunate,” Wike said, referencing comments allegedly made by a former Chief of Staff about the land. “I don’t understand how someone who has attained that position would not approach my office to resolve the matter but instead use military power to intimidate Nigerians. I will not succumb to blackmail.”
Despite the minister’s objections, the soldiers reportedly refused to vacate the site, maintaining that they were acting on directives from former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo.
The confrontation highlights ongoing tensions over land administration and military involvement in property disputes within the Federal Capital Territory.
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