FCT Minister, Wike, in Scuffle with Naval Personnel over Alleged Land Encroachment Drama

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and his security details, yesterday, in Gaduwa District, Abuja, were involved in a scuffle with some personnel of the Nigeria Navy, led by one Lt AM Yerima over a disputed parcel of land.

The contentious plot 1946, said to belong to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (Rtd), was designated as a buffer by the Development and Control of FCT Administration and was not approved for development.

Wike went to the site after he was told military officials guiding the site had allegedly threatened to shoot the advance FCTA officers led by Mukhah Galadima, that went to stop further development of the site, a claim the naval personnel later debunked.

Tempers were immediately frayed when the armed officers reportedly blocked Wike and his entourage, including the FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, from gaining access to the site when they arrived.

The development  led to a scuffle between the security details attached to the minister and the naval personnel.

Wike insisted that the ongoing development at the site was illegal and asked the soldiers to produce the documents supporting their claim to the land.

After the initial fierce exchange, Yerima said the land belonged to a former Chief of Naval Staff and with valid documents.

But Wike replied in anger saying, “You cannot tell me that. You cannot continue to act with impunity in this way and you can not continue to work illegally. You are not the one to say we have documents. It does not matter.”

At this point, Yerima interjected, “It matters. I am an officer. I took orders from a three-star General”, to which Wike responded saying, “There is no order than me. I am the FCT Minister. You are taking an illegal order. You will never develop this plot. I will never allow it.”

Below are some excerpts of their exchange.

Yerima: “No problem, sir. I am only acting on my orders.”

Wike: “If you want to kill everybody, kill everybody.”

Yerima: “We will not kill anybody, sir.”

Wike: “You will put yourself in trouble.”

At this stage the DSS and police officials accompanying Wike fiercely challenged Yerima and asked him to stop talking, but Yerima stood his ground, warning the ministerial security details: “You cannot shut me up, you are my juniors. You cannot even talk when I am talking. I am talking and policemen are talking.”

Wike accused the soldiers of intimidating the FCTA field workers and told Yerima: “This land does not belong to him (Gambo). If you have a problem, come and see me in office to resolve this.

“And as officer, you should know that carrying guns about and intimidating Nigerians is not the best way. It is the reason why I came. But nobody will die, anyway.”

Then the back and forth with Yerima continued:

Wike: “You are going about to encroach somebody’s land, because you are an officer. Nobody does that.”

Yerima: “We did not carry anybody’s land”

Wike: The man took land and I will not allow that because he was Chief of Naval Staff….”

Yerima: “Everything was acquired legally. The papers are complete.”

Wike: “Will you stop that! Are you the ones to tell me they are complete?”

Yerima: “I am an officer, I have integrity….”

Wike: “Shut up your mouth, who does that…”

Yerima: “I won’t shut up. You can’t shut me up”

Wike: “Will you keep quiet. Are you a fool?”

Yerima: “I am not a fool, sir. I am acting on orders.”

Wike: “Which orders?”

Yerima: “You can’t call me a fool. I am a commissioned officer.”

Wike: “Go and develop the land let me see you…”

Later, when Wike addressed the media, he said he intervened when the land department and development control of the FCT brought his attention to an alleged ongoing illegal development and land-grabbing.

He said he directed them to not allow such illegality in as much as those claiming the land did not have any legal paper in terms of regional approval or even the acquisition of the land.

“And when they came here, I was informed that the soldiers of the military had to chase them away and I thought probably they would be acting illegally.

“And so today while I was in the office, while they came to implement the directive that was given to them by myself, I was called that the military have taken over the place and I have to come by myself to see things for myself. It’s really unfortunate. And you heard what the officers said, he was sent by the former chief of naval staff.

“And I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position and he said that he has a problem cannot approach my office to say, ‘look, this is what is going on, this is what is going on”.

“But simply because he’s a military man, he could use that to intimidate Nigerians. I’m not one of those kind of persons that will succumb to blackmail or intimidation.

“And you can imagine where you cannot even prove where are the documents. And the Director of Development Control said, look, I was here. I said bring the documents, you don’t have the documents.

“Bring the approval for building, you don’t have it. And how can we continue to allow lawlessness to prevail in this country? What about those who don’t have the military? What about those who don’t have security?

“It has gotten to a level where when government officials are doing, carrying out their job, you go and bring security to intimidate them. And this government official, I will not accept that.

“I’ve spoken to the Chief of Defence Staff and I’ve spoken to the Chief of Naval Staff and they have assured me that, please, they have to resolve the matter. And we’re not coming here to have a shootout with anybody to cause chaos and all. But what I can say, I would not allow it to happen.”

The minister insisted that the way the FCTA had done and carried out its jobs in other areas was the same way it would be done on the disputed land, saying he (Vice Adm Gambo) “would not carry out this illegal deployment on land grounds simply because he is a former chief of naval staff. I’ll not allow that”.