A dramatic confrontation unfolded in Abuja on Tuesday when the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, was blocked by armed soldiers from accessing a disputed plot of land allegedly linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd.).
The minister, who has made the enforcement of land-use regulations a central plank of his administration, had arrived at the site in company of officials from the FCTA Department of Development Control following reports of illegal development and land grabbing.
According to the Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, the property in question was not allocated by the FCT Administration and had no valid documents of ownership or building approval. But as Wike’s convoy approached the fenced site, a group of uniformed soldiers positioned at the entrance reportedly moved to deny him access.
What followed was an extraordinary exchange that underscored the tension between civilian authority and military influence in the capital’s land administration.
Witnesses said Wike stepped out of his vehicle and demanded to be allowed in, insisting he had come to inspect an illegal construction. The soldiers stood their ground, with their leader asserting that he was under strict orders “from above” not to permit entry.
The atmosphere quickly grew charged.
“Who gave you the order?” Wike demanded, raising his voice as he advanced toward the officer.
“Keep quiet!” the minister shouted, his tone echoing across the site.
The young officer, refusing to back down, responded sharply:
“Sir, you cannot tell me to keep quiet. I am a commissioned officer.”
Those minister, visibly incensed, retorted: “You’re a fool!”
Unfazed, the soldier replied, “I am not a fool, sir and you have no right to call me one.”
The tense exchange ended with Wike turning away in anger and leaving the scene, but not before addressing journalists who had followed his convoy.
“It’s really unfortunate,” he said, describing the soldiers’ presence as “illegal.”
“You heard what the officer said that he was sent by the former Chief of Naval Staff. I don’t understand how someone who once occupied such a high position cannot come to my office to resolve an issue but instead uses soldiers to intimidate people. I will not succumb to blackmail or intimidation.”
Wike said he had already contacted the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff, both of whom, he claimed, assured him that the situation would be resolved.
He vowed that the government would not tolerate impunity or lawlessness, regardless of the personalities involved.
“We cannot continue to allow lawlessness to prevail in this country,” Wike declared. “What about those who don’t have the military or security to protect them? When government officials are carrying out their duties, some people think they can use force to intimidate them. I will not accept that.”
The minister reaffirmed that the FCTA’s efforts to curb illegal developments would continue “without fear or favour.”
“He will not carry out this illegal development simply because he was a former Chief of Naval Staff,” Wike said firmly. “I will not allow that.”
The confrontation marks one of the most dramatic episodes yet in Wike’s ongoing crackdown on unauthorized land acquisitions in the capital, a campaign that has seen several high-profile demolitions and investigations into questionable property deals since he assumed office in 2023.
Neither the retired naval chief nor the Nigerian Navy has publicly commented on the incident as of press time.
