The Minister of Defence, Mohammad Badaru Abubakar, has assured that no officer or soldier on lawful duty will face punishment following the altercation between soldiers and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr Nyesom Wike, in Abuja on Tuesday, November 11.
Speaking on Wednesday, November 12, at the ministerial briefing to flag off the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day at the National Defence College, Abubakar emphasized the government’s commitment to protecting military personnel.
“We will always protect our officers on lawful duty. So, 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 he is doing his job, and he’s doing his job greatly well,” he stated.
The incident involved a faceoff between Wike and Naval officer Lt. A.M. Yerima over a parcel of land reportedly belonging to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo. The dispute escalated when the officer prevented Wike and his entourage from entering the property, citing lawful orders, while Wike insisted that the land had been wrongly acquired and ongoing work on it should stop.
Following the altercation, the Coalition of Retired Nigerian Military Veterans vowed to mobilize and occupy the FCT Ministry in Abuja should the officer be punished for performing his duty.
The Defence Ministry has since reaffirmed its stance that lawful actions by officers will be fully protected.
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