Wike Ignored Military Advice Before Confronting Naval Officer: Defence Minister Matawalle

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Bello Matawalle, has said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ignored the advice of top military chiefs before confronting a naval officer at a disputed land site in Abuja.

In an interview with DCL Hausa, Matawalle described the confrontation between Wike and Lieutenant Commander Yerima as “unfortunate”, saying the FCT Minister had been advised to allow the military to investigate the matter before taking any action.

“What happened between Minister Wike and the officer is unfortunate,” Matawalle said. *“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.”*

The Defence Minister confirmed that both the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff had spoken with Wike ahead of his visit and cautioned him to exercise restraint. “He was advised to wait for an investigation, but he went ahead,” Matawalle added.

He praised the naval officer’s composure, noting that Yerima acted lawfully and displayed discipline during the encounter. “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 said.

According to him, the officer did not violate any military regulation. “He did not commit any offence under military rules; he merely obeyed a lawful order and followed due process. If you observe carefully, he spoke respectfully and conducted himself properly,” Matawalle explained.

“Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” he warned. This is not about supporting the military to act disrespectfully toward civilians,” he said. “The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors.”

“Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an investigation would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait,” he added.

“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,” he said. “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,” Matawalle said.