Buratai condemns Wike’s clash with Naval officer, says it’s “national security danger”

A public clash between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a Nigerian Navy officer has been labeled a “clear and present danger to national security” by former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.).

The incident, which occurred in Abuja’s Gaduwa District, stemmed from a dispute over a parcel of land allegedly linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.

Minister Wike, visiting the site with officials to halt what he called an “illegal construction,” confronted the officer who was supervising the property.

In a widely circulated video, Wike is seen expressing outrage, insisting that no one, regardless of military rank, is above the law. “You are in uniform, and you’re telling me that the Navy owns this land? Who gave you the right to build without approval? Even if you are the Chief of Naval Staff, the law must be respected,” Wike stated.

The naval officer responded that the property belonged to a former service chief and that the military was authorized to protect it.

Reacting on his verified Facebook page, the former Army Chief stated that Wike’s conduct “transcends mere misconduct.”

He described the minister’s public rebuke of a uniformed officer as “a reckless act that strikes at the core of Nigeria’s command and control structure.”

“A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline,” Buratai said. “It is not political theatre—it is a reckless endangerment of national order.”

He asserted that the action “undermines the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and wounds the morale of every officer who serves under the Nigerian flag.”

Buratai, who served as Army Chief from 2015 to 2021, called on President Bola Tinubu to treat the matter as an urgent national security concern. He demanded that Wike tender an “immediate and unequivocal public apology” to President Tinubu, the Armed Forces, and the officer involved.

“The integrity of our Armed Forces demands nothing less,” he declared. “Our nation’s security must come first. It is time for decisive action, not politics of military bashing.”

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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