A combined photo of Nyesom Wike and Lieutenant Commander Yerima
By Abdullahi Abubakar
The Minister of State for Defence, Mr, Bello Matawalle, has said that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, defied advice given him by top military chiefs and went ahead to confront a Naval officer, Lieutenant Commander Yerima, at a disputed plot of land in Gaduwa district of Abuja.
Matawalle, who described the incident as most unfortunate, said that Wike had earlier contacted the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff, both of whom advised him to allow the military investigate the matter before taking any action.
This was as the Minister of State for Defence, cautioned government officials to learn to show respect to members of the Armed Forces, stressing that disrespect to a uniformed officer indirectly undermines the authority of the President as Commander-in-Chief.
Wike had in a trending video on social media engaged in an altercation with a Naval officer, Lt. Yerima on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, during an abrupt visit to a property site in Gaduwa District, Abuja allegedly owned by the military.
In the video, Wike was seen accusing the officer of obstructing his directive regarding the land and rain insults on the military officer.
See Matawalle’s statement below
“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—he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders.
Therefore, the young officer only carried out his duty worthy of commendation,”
“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,”
“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,”
“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,”
“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,”.
“Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an investigation would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait. It was supposed to be a one-day inquiry, but he chose to go there and confront them,”
“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,”
“If the land has been revoked, there are established procedures to be followed diplomatically,”
“We have not received any formal complaint from Wike, but I called him after the video went viral and advised that he should have spoken with me before going there, rather than confronting the officers directly,”
