The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a group of military officers clashed on Tuesday over alleged land-grabbing at the Gaduwa District in Abuja.
A video of the altercation, obtained by our correspondent, showed ย the visibly angry minister accusing the officer of illegally taking possession of a parcel of land, questioning why the military was laying claim to the property simply because it was linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.
โBecause you are an officer? Nobody does that. The man took land because he was the Chief of Naval Staff?โ Wike queried.
The officer in military camouflage who interrupted the minister, insisted that the acquisition was legitimate.
โI am an officer with integrity. Everything was acquired legally,โ he said.
Wike, angered by the interjection, ordered him to be quiet, but the officer fired back, saying, โI will not shut up.โ
Wike retorted, โYou are a very big fool. As of the time I graduated, you were still in primary school.โ
The officer maintained his stance, insisting that he was deployed to the site on official orders.
โYou will see if you will not leave here. Go and develop there and let me see,โ Wike warned as the standoff intensified.
The confrontation began when Wike and senior officials of the FCT Administration arrived at the site to stop an ongoing development the ministry described as illegal.
Armed military personnel could be seen blocking the entrance to the plot with a truck, preventing bulldozers from the Department of Development Control from accessing the site for demolition.
The officers allegedly shoved the minister aside, declaring that they were acting on superior instructions.
Wike, who eventually turned back after making and receiving several calls, vowed that the illegal construction would not continue.
Speaking to journalists after the incident, the minister accused the retired naval officer of attempting to use his status to intimidate government officials.
โI donโt understand how somebody who attained that position and said that he has a problem cannot approach my office to say, look, this is what is going on.
โBut simply because heโs a military man, he could use that to intimidate Nigerians. Iโm not one of those kind of persons that will succumb to blackmail or intimidation,โ Wike said.
He added that the officers on-site failed to produce valid documents authorising the development.
โYou can imagine where you cannot even prove the documents. And the Director of Development Control said, look, I was here. I said bring the documents, you donโt have the documents. Bring the approval for building, you donโt have it. And how can we continue to allow lawlessness to prevail in this country?,โ he quiery
Wike further questioned what ordinary citizens without military backing were expected to do when faced with such situations.
โWhat about those who donโt have the military? What about those who donโt have security? It has gotten to a level where, when government officials are carrying out their job, you go and bring security to intimidate them. And this government official โ I will not accept that,โ he said.
The minister disclosed that he had already spoken with the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff about the incident.
Wike said, โIโve spoken to the Chief of Defence Staff and Iโve spoken to the Chief of Naval Staff and they have assured me that they have to resolve the matter. Weโre not coming here to have a shootout with anybody or to cause chaos.
โBut what I can say, I would not allow it to happen. The way we have carried out our jobs in other areas is the same way it will be done here. He will not carry out this illegal development on land simply because he was a former Chief of Naval Staff. I would not allow that.โ
Land disputes and illegal allocations have been a recurring problem in the Federal Capital Territory. The FCT Administration, under Wike, has intensified efforts to curb unauthorised developments and restore the Abuja Master Plan through demolitions and enforcement drives.
๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐ข๐ค๐, ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐https://t.co/nzuY6FPrdK
Credit : Solomon Odeniyi | Channels TV pic.twitter.com/vnQhMHKtC4
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