Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru backs naval officer who confronted FCT Minister Wike over Abuja land dispute, saying he acted lawfully. Read full story below.
Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru has thrown his weight behind Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, the naval officer who stood up to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over a disputed plot of land allegedly belonging to former Naval Chief Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo.
The tension surrounding the controversial land faceoff between Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the Nigerian Navy has taken a fresh twist — as the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, publicly backed Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, the naval officer who confronted Wike during the heated scene in Abuja.
In a video that went viral across social media platforms, Lieutenant Yerima was seen refusing to vacate a parcel of land reportedly allocated to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (Rtd). The officer insisted that the land belonged to the Navy, even as Wike and his security team demanded immediate clearance from the site.
The confrontation sparked widespread public debate, with many Nigerians accusing the FCT Minister of using excessive power, while others claimed the officer’s action was insubordinate.
Speaking on the matter, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, made his position clear — saying Yerima acted within the law and would not face any form of victimization for performing his duty.
“We are looking into this issue, and we assure that any officer on lawful duty will be protected highly. We will not allow anything to happen to him so far as he is doing his job, and he is doing his job greatly well,” Badaru said.
His comments have been interpreted as a subtle but firm counter to Wike’s aggressive handling of the situation, signaling that the Defence Ministry will not tolerate the intimidation of military personnel carrying out lawful assignments.
Political observers believe this development could deepen the already frosty relationship between some federal agencies and the FCT administration under Wike, who has been accused by critics of running Abuja with a “strongman mentality.”
Meanwhile, public opinion remains divided. While some Nigerians applaud the naval officer’s courage in standing up to political authority, others say such confrontations could undermine civilian control over the military.
However, the Defence Minister’s statement has now positioned the military hierarchy firmly behind its personnel, raising fresh questions about the legality of the FCT Minister’s alleged attempt to reclaim the disputed land.
As the controversy unfolds, Nigerians are watching closely to see whether this rare show of defiance against one of the most vocal ministers in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet could spark broader institutional tensions between the military and the FCT administration.
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