Nemesis continues to trail and haunt Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), over his numerous lawless acts in Rivers State and Abuja as he is allegedly regretting his recent verbal assaults on the Armed Forces family, many citizens who await his downfall insist he is on his way to the doomsday due to his arrogance with power
By Our Correspondent
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, remains a day Nyesom Wike the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), would never forget in his life time. Still suffering the shame and humiliation brought upon him and his family over allegations of corruption and illicit acquisition of properties in Florida United States (US), Wike on the above date brought to himself another shame and public ridicule when he frustratingly handed verbal assaults to a young, vibrant and eloquent Naval officer, Lt. AM Yerima, over land dispute in Abuja.
Wike had angrily confronted a team of soldiers over an alleged land-grabbing dispute at Plot 1946 located in the Gaduwa District of the FCT, involving a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (retd).
It was alleged that Wike had earlier sent his officials with his security details to harass, intimidate and chase away the contractor handling the project development of the said property, on two occasions and, without having communicated officially to the owner of the piece of land. In reaction, Naval officers were deployed to protect the contractor and prevent Wike from demolishing the property and taking possession.
Upon arrival at the site that Tuesday, the visibly irate minister began to question the military officers stationed at the site, saying, ”Because you are an officer? Nobody does that. The man took the land because he was a former Chief of Naval Staff”. Reacting to Wike’s vituperation, leader of the military team, Lt. AM Yerima, said to Wike, “I am an officer with integrity. Everything was acquired legally”. At this point Wike commanded Yerima to shut up, “I will not shut up”, Yerima replied.
Apparently feeling frustrated and humiliated by the audacity of Yerima, Wike resorted to verbal assaults on the gallant officer dressed in camouflage, ”You are a very big fool. At the time I graduated you were still in primary school”.
Wike was to reveal moments later that government officials from the FCT Department of Development Control were chased away from the site by armed soldiers as they tried to enforce the stop-work order earlier issued by his office.
Since the Wike outburst against the military, prominent Nigerians have been reacting to the effect that the minister was reckless, irresponsible, and lawless. These argued that Wike’s action was a disrespect to the military, and an embarrassment to the President of the Federal Republic. Different issues have also arisen which have since put Wike on the spot.
One, many have alleged that Wike has been in the habit of verbally assaulting security details attached to him. The embattled minister was also alleged to have reallocated the land in question to his cronies, even as his ministry allegedly failed to engage Vice Admiral Gambo (retd.) in formal communication before reallocating the piece of land. Thirdly, it was alleged that Wike may have been under the influence of alcohol which prompted him to throw decorum to the wind. Prominent citizens, therefore, insisted that disrespect for a military officer is a disrespect to the President.
In his reaction, Femi Falana, a legal expert, berated Wike for what he termed illegal demolition of properties in Abuja without court orders which he said is a contravention of the extant laws.
According to Falana, ”No minister, no governor has the power to demolish any buildings without a valid court order. The illegality (of demolitions in FCT) was taken to extreme”. The legal expert insisted that Wike had run afoul of the law by the illegal demolitions he was carrying out in Abuja.
A former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka on the same day said the FCT Minister took a fundamental misstep by verbally abusing a military officer on lawful duty.
In a statement titled ‘Minister Wike: Power, Process, and the Rule of Law’, Chidoka said Wike diminished the Federal Republic of Nigeria by verbally abusing an officer in uniform.
“Any law enforcement officer, in uniform or plain clothes, represents the President and the sovereignty of the Nigerian state. To abuse such an officer is to diminish the authority of the Republic itself.
Minister Nyesom Wike’s decision to personally enforce a directive at a disputed site was a fundamental misstep. “In constitutional democracies, power operates through institutions not impulse.
Executive authority must be exercised or adjudicated through the courts, ministries, and lawful instruments of state, never through confrontation. No matter how justified a grievance, a minister cannot become an enforcer; that violates the very idea of ordered government.
“In a democracy, ministers act through process, not presence. A formal communication to the Minister of Defence, whose office oversees the Armed Forces, would have sufficed. If the officers were on illegal duty, the established disciplinary systems would have addressed it.
“When a minister trades words with a uniformed officer acting under orders lawful or otherwise it corrodes discipline and confuses hierarchy.
“The officer’s duty is to obey the chain of command, not verbal instructions on a roadside; the minister’s duty is to act through lawful channels.
“The Minister should apologise to the officer for using abusive language. It is not acceptable behaviour.
The conduct of the DSS protective details was equally unprofessional. Their responsibility was to extract their principal from a rancorous and potentially dangerous situation, not to escalate it.
“Security officers must remember that their loyalty is to the state, not to personalities.
This episode is a cautionary tale: This episode demeans the dignity of the office of the Minister and undermines the image of disciplined governance”.
Also reacting, a lawyer and human rights activist, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, took a swipe at Wike, describing him as a man who is consistently under the control of alcohol. Otherwise, Odinkalu said, how can a sane minister engage in heated argument with armed soldiers? Commenting on the incident via his X handle, Odinkalu appeared to criticize Wike’s conduct, describing it as unbecoming of a senior public official.
In a strongly worded post, he wrote: “When a #LifeBencher relies too much on alcohol, you can end up with one of those ones they call #HorribleMinister…. I hope the #CInC is very happy with his favorite Minister.”
In the same vein, a former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt. General Lucky Irabor, stated that it was unlawful and condemnable for Wike to verbally assault a soldier on an official duty.
Addressing the media on Thursday, November 13, 2025, General Irabor stressed that the military uniform carries immense significance, representing Nigeria’s authority, dignity, and sovereignty. He warned that disrespecting soldiers goes beyond personal affronts-it is an insult to the nation itself.
The retired general also highlighted the strict discipline that governs military conduct. He noted that even as a high-ranking officer, he would face consequences for any form of physical aggression toward soldiers. “Even a General cannot strike a soldier without facing disciplinary measures,” he explained.
Irabor’s remarks come amid national conversations about the need to uphold respect for military personnel and the importance of following proper protocols when dealing with the armed forces.
By underlining the professionalism and codes of conduct within the military, General Irabor reinforced that civility and respect are essential in maintaining the integrity of Nigeria’s defence institutions.
Wike has been contending with public odium since his alleged roles in the six months emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025. The emergency rule saw the suspension and dismantling of democratic institutions in Rivers State, the conduct of an illegal local council election in the state which ceded all the 22 local government areas of the state in the hands of Wike cronies. Since then, it appears the current FCT minister has lost favour with most citizens, this is coupled with allegations of allocation of acres of land in Abuja to his children, and the illegal demolition of people’s properties in the FCT.
Again, Wike’s perceived membership of two political parties at the same time-the All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-whereupon the presidency has allegedly deployed him to destroy the PDP, has attracted vicious hatred by the citizens to the embattled minister. Hence, when the Abuja incident with Lt. Yerima happened, many have used the incident to pour venoms on Wike for attempting to destroy Nigeria’s democracy. There is also the allegation that Wike has pocketed the judiciary to an extent that it will be hard for the judges of the Federal High Courts to dispense justice that is not in favour of the Federal Government and the Wike camp.
For example, the case relating to the emergency rule in Rivers State which some PDP governors brought to the Supreme Court for adjudication has never been mentioned in the apex court, courtesy of Wike’s alleged influence on the judiciary. Also, the courts have favoured Wike in his attempt to ensure that the PDP national convention slated for the 15th of November would not hold.
Hence, a coalition of over 600 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has demanded the immediate removal of the Minister Wike for verbally assaulting Lt. Yerima. The organisations threw their support behind former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), who had earlier condemned the minister’s conduct and urged disciplinary action.
In a joint communiqué signed by Comrade Usman Danladi, the CSOs stated: “We, the undersigned 600 civil society organisations, stand in full and uncompromising solidarity with Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.) in his courageous and timely call for decisive action against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, following his disgraceful and highly provocative verbal assault on a serving naval officer on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.” They described the minister’s verbal confrontation, where Wike was allegedly heard calling the officer “a big fool”, as a “gross act of indiscipline and arrogance unbecoming of a public officeholder.”
The Coalition also said, ‘This is not leadership, this is arrogance’. The statement further condemned Wike’s behaviour, saying it symbolised a wider pattern of abuse of power.
“This is not leadership. This is not governance. This is the conduct of a man who believes his political office places him above the law and above the very armed forces that protect our democracy,” the group said.
They warned that if the matter was ignored, it would “send a dangerous message” that government officials could disrespect national institutions without consequence. The Coalition, therefore, demanded immediate action against Wike. The group outlined a series of demands, including, immediate dismissal of Wike from office; a formal public apology to President Bola Tinubu, the Armed Forces, and the naval officer involved; an independent investigation into the minister’s conduct; possible disciplinary measures, including suspension pending inquiry; mandatory civil–military relations training for all political office holders. “Anything less would be a betrayal of the Nigerian people and the Armed Forces. The Federal Government must act swiftly and firmly. The integrity of this administration is at stake. We will not be silent. We will monitor, we will follow up, and we will mobilise until justice is done”, they vowed.
Also, in defence of Lt. Yerima and the other military officers who were deployed to guard the property, the Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has assured them that they would not be punished for discharging their lawful duties. Abubakar’s reaction was to the threat issued by a coalition of retired military veterans to the effect that they would occupy the Ministry of the FCT should Yerima be punished for carrying out lawful orders.
But assuring the public that the military would not punish Yerima, Abubakar said, ”We will always protect officers and our armed forces personnel on lawful duty. Any officer on lawful duty will be protected if he is doing his job lawfully and if he does it well”.
The Defence Minister made the assurance during the ministerial briefing on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 to flag off the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration at the National Defences College, Abuja.
An angry military source told Tentacle that Wike’s affront on Yerima could trigger military takeover if it was not handled with care by President Tinubu. The source whispered, ”It was a setup against Wike and he arrogantly fell for it. This is the kind of misbehavior by politicians that can compel the military to seize power.
“This kind of disrespect to the military can escalate to full blown political tension that can cause military intervention in a democracy.
“Wike’s affront on Yerima is an affront on the military forces, and you don’t expect them to keep quiet and allow the military be desecrated by civilians.
“The President must call the minister to order and advise him to tender public apology to assuage the anger of the armed forces”.
The source disclosed that the military has been observing Wike’s excesses since he became the FCT Minister and the arrogance being exhibited by him with impunity.
The source confirmed that the armed forces are unhappy with the way and manner Wike has been behaving lawlessly. He said some retired military Generals have been fuming against Wike calling a uniformed officer on lawful duty a fool. The top brass military officers both serving and retired have equally slammed Wike for his inability to recognize the huge price the armed forces are paying on daily basis to protect the nation against insurgency and terrorism. Some said if Wike would treat a Commissioned officer with such public dishonour, it showed that the political class has no regards for the military forces.
A former Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Buratai has asked Wike to apologize publicly to President Tinubu, the armed forces and the military officer involved in the clash. Buratai who served as the COAS between 2015 and 2021, said Wike’s conduct against Yerima remained inappropriate and amounted to disrespect to the military.
In a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday night, November 11, the former COAS said, ”The events of November 11, 2025, involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Barrister Nyesom Wike, demand an immediate and serious response.
”His public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces transcends mere misconduct; it represents a palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity.
“A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline that strikes at the core of our nation’s command and control structure. It deliberately undermines the chain of command, disrespects the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and grievously wounds the morale of every individual who serves under the Nigerian flag.
”Such actions erode the very foundation of discipline upon which our national security apparatus stands”.
In a feeble response to the backlash occasioned by his rash behaviour against Yerima, Wike has stated that he didn’t call the Nigerian military a fool.
This statement was contained in a viral video that was posted on the YouTube page of CHANNELS TV on November 13, 2025.
The FCT Minister claimed that many people didn’t understand what he meant when he used the word during his confrontation with Lieutenant Yerima. He said he will never disrespect the Nigerian Army.
Nyesom Wike stated that he is fully aware of all the sacrifices of the Nigerian Army in fighting terrorism and insurgency.
“Those who are talking and writing junks saying I called the boy a fool should go and find out what happened. What I meant is this, you cannot be carrying out an illegal order. I didn’t say military is a fool.
“I wouldn’t have said that. I know the role of the military. The role they play in this country. What they have passed through in fighting insurgency and terrorism”.
