The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, says the faceoff between the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and a Naval officer, LT A.M Yerima, over a parcel of land in the FCT was unnecessary and avoidable.
In an interview with DCL Hausa, Matawalle revealed that Wike had earlier contacted both the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff, who advised him to allow the military to investigate the matter, however, he refused listen to them and instead chose to go to the land to confront the officers who were acting on the order from their superiors.
“What happened between Minister Wike and the officer is unfortunate. When he got there, the officer explained that he was simply obeying orders given to him. Wike should not have exchanged words with the officer; he ought to have addressed his concerns through the officer’s superiors.
He (Wike) is our colleague, and Wike could have reached out to us to resolve whatever issue. The officer’s action was lawful because he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders. Therefore, the young officer only carried out his duty worthy of commendation” he stated.
Matawalle who is a former Governor of Zamfara state said the officer did not violate any military rule and conducted himself properly.
“He did not commit any offence under military regulations. He merely obeyed a lawful order and followed due process. If you observe carefully, he spoke respectfully and conducted himself properly,” Matawalle added.
The minister further cautioned public officials against disrespecting uniformed personnel, stressing that doing so undermines the authority of the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“There is, therefore, no offence under military law for which he should be charged. Wike should not have engaged him in an altercation, especially out of respect for the uniform he was wearing. Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. There is, therefore, no basis for any punishment against the officer” he said
Matawalle clarified that his comments were not an endorsement of military indiscipline but a reminder of the importance of following the chain of command.
“This is not about supporting the military to act disrespectfully toward civilians. The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors. I gathered that he called the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to wait for an investigation,” he explained.
The Defence Minister added that the Chief of Naval Staff had also assured Wike that an inquiry would be conducted, yet the FCT Minister still went to the location.
“However, he did not wait and instead went straight to the site. As a leader, he ought to have exercised patience and waited for the outcome of the investigation,”
Matawalle further stated that Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an investigation would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait.
Matawalle confirmed that the Chief of Naval Staff has since visited the disputed site to begin a formal investigation into the ownership of the land.
“Now that the Chief of Naval Staff has visited the area since it involves a land dispute, the matter will be investigated to know who owns the lawful documents” he said
He stressed that if any revocation of the land was necessary, it should have been done through proper administrative and diplomatic procedures rather than confrontation.
“If the land has been revoked, there are established procedures to be followed diplomatically,” Matawalle stated.
The minister added that the Ministry of Defence is yet to receive a formal complaint from Wike over the incident but that he has personally reached out to the FCT Minister after the video went viral.
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