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Confrontation erupts in Gaduwa as FCT Minister challenges military presence on disputed property, insists no one is above the law
There was palpable tension in Abuja on Tuesday when soldiers prevented the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from gaining access to a parcel of land located in the Gaduwa district. The incident occurred during an inspection visit led by the minister and officials of the Federal Capital Territory Development Administration (FCDA), sparking a heated exchange between Wike and the military officers stationed at the site.
According to eyewitnesses, the soldiers blocked the minister’s entourage at the entrance to the disputed property, insisting that they were acting on superior orders. The land in question is reportedly linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.
Visibly angered by the obstruction, Wike confronted the soldiers, questioning why they had mounted a blockade over what he described as government property. “Because you are an officer? Nobody does that. The man took land because he was the Chief of Naval Staff?” the minister exclaimed, expressing outrage at what he perceived as abuse of privilege.
Responding to Wike’s query, one of the soldiers asserted that the acquisition was legitimate, saying, “I am an officer with integrity. Everything was acquired legally.”
This response further provoked the minister, who retorted sharply, “Shut up,” to which the officer immediately countered, “I will not shut up.” The exchange escalated as Wike, visibly furious, shouted, “You are a very big fool. As at the time I graduated, you were still in primary school. You will see if you will not leave here. Go and develop there and let me see.”
Efforts by security aides in Wike’s convoy to defuse the confrontation and persuade the soldiers to grant access to the land proved futile, as the soldiers maintained their stance.
An evidently frustrated Wike addressed the situation, condemning what he described as acts of impunity and intimidation. “We cannot continue to act in impunity. This country cannot go on this way. You cannot be higher than any government. You cannot be carrying a gun to intimidate anybody. I am not one of those that they can intimidate,” he declared.
He further criticized the former naval officer associated with the land, describing his actions as unbecoming of a person of such rank. “I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position, seeing that he has a problem, cannot approach my office to say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on,’ or simply because he is a military man, they could use that to intimidate Nigerians. I’m not one of those kinds of people who will succumb to blackmail,” Wike asserted.
The standoff lasted for several minutes, drawing attention to the lingering tension between civilian authorities and the military over land ownership and administrative control in the FCT. As of the time of filing this report, the matter had not been resolved, and it remains unclear whether the FCT administration will take further action to reclaim or investigate the disputed property.
The incident underscores ongoing concerns over the misuse of official influence in land allocations and the challenge of enforcing government authority in the Federal Capital Territory.
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