There are insinuations from the grapevine that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, deliberately used the media to expose more of the lawlessness and impunity of top military officers in land grabbing. If this is true, Wike once again would have shown why he is regarded as one of Nigeria’s most strategic and fearless political figures. Calm, deliberate, and unshaken, Wike didn’t just confront intimidation; he got the military exactly where he wanted them: in the open, exposed, and answerable to civilian authority.
For years, Abuja has been struggling with the unchecked excesses of a few privileged officers who illegally acquire public lands and use soldiers to block lawful urban development control.
If Wike arrived at the disputed site with full media presence, the FCT Minister made sure the nation saw what usually happens behind closed gates, armed obstruction of government duty by those sworn to defend the law. That single move flipped the script. Instead of being the one under pressure, Wike forced accountability. He would have made it impossible for such impunity to continue unnoticed, proving that in a democracy, civil authority remains supreme no matter the rank or uniform.
If this episode wasn’t an accident, but a calculated statement, Wike demonstrated that the capital city cannot be governed by intimidation or shadow power. The FCT Minister set the terms and made the nation witness who truly upholds order and who hides behind it. With that, Wike didn’t just resist pressure; he exposed it. He didn’t just stand firm; he controlled the field. The FCT now knows that lawful governance is back in charge, and that the Minister leading it neither fears confrontation nor misuses it.
On the other hand, if the FCT Minister is using power and authority vested in his office to revoke lands officially allocated for political vendetta, then he is a villain.
What began as a routine inspection swiftly metamorphosed into a drama so gripping that people are not sure whether they were witnessing lawful enforcement or the prelude to an inter-agency clash. The leader of the naval personnel manning the land was Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, calm, still, almost immovable. The standoff was a hardened one. While Wike pressed for entry, citing FCTA’s authority over the land, Yerima insisted the property had full documentation and that he was acting strictly under orders while obstructing the routine inspection of the Minister.
When the Minister snapped at him, calling him a fool and ordering him to shut up, Yerima’s calm reply spread across the country within minutes of the video surfacing: “I’m an officer, I have my integrity.” “
I am not a fool; you can’t shut me up.” Yerima here emerged as a hero for his boldness to confront authorities, but if it is confirmed that the property does not have full documentation or if the military hierarchy is using the officers to illegally acquire public lands and to block lawful urban development control, then Yerima stands as a valiant hero. No officer should carry out an illegal order.
Hovering over the land dispute is the legacy of Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff (2021–2023). President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was reported to have acted swiftly and with discreet intervention, which helped steady the storm before it could spiral out of control.
His behind-the-scenes guidance, urging restraint and adherence to due process, was credited with diffusing a potential inter-agency crisis. It is also reported that by the next day, the bulldozer at the heart of the disputed Gaduwa land finally departed, drawing spontaneous applause from residents lining the streets. The hum of the machine mingled with cheers, a rare moment of collective relief.
The Northern Christian Youth Professionals expressed their concern over the confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer, Lt. A. Yerima, who reportedly blocked the minister from accessing a parcel of land under the control of the FCT Administration.
In their statement, Isaac Abrak, NCYP, described the incident as “a grave violation of democratic order” and a dangerous precedent capable of undermining civilian authority, a cornerstone of constitutional governance.
The group cited human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and other legal experts, who argued that Wike acted within his statutory powers under the Land Use Act and Section 18(1)(b) of the Federal Capital Territory Act, which vests control and allocation of land within the FCT in the Minister.
According to NCYP, preventing a minister from accessing land under his jurisdiction “is ultravire, unconstitutional, and an affront to the authority of the President,” whose mandate the minister exercised on behalf of Nigerians. We are calling for a proper probe of the incident and the valiant identified and punished.
