The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was involved in a heated, confrontation with a Nigerian Navy officer and military personnel who blocked him and FCT officials from accessing a disputed land site in Abuja on Tuesday, November 11.
The Minister was leading an FCT Administration team to the site, which he alleges is an illegal construction on disputed government land linked to a former high-ranking military officer. The contested property in the Gaduwa District is believed to be illegally developed in a space designated as a buffer zone.
The confrontation became personal and heated, when Wike accused the officers of using their uniforms to intimidate government officials and shield what he termed impunity in the land administration of Abuja;
You send soldiers to intimidate who? We are the hope of this country and this government. You can’t be higher than the government. You can’t carry guns and intimidate people
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The confrontation reached a point where the military officers allegedly threatened to shoot FCTA officials who initially attempted to stop the illegal construction. Wike stated that the intervention from the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) via a phone call prevented the situation from becoming physically violent.
FCT Minister Wike, known for his aggressive and direct approach to governance, has made the restoration of the Abuja Master Plan a central theme of his tenure. This includes a recent wave of enforcement actions against property owners who have violated land use regulations, such as converting residential homes to commercial businesses without official approval, with strict penalties now in effect.
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