Niger Delta activist, Asari Dokubo, has condemned the confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a military officer over a disputed plot of land in Abuja.
Gatekeepers News reports that on Tuesday, videos circulated online showing Wike engaged in a heated argument with soldiers at a construction site in the capital. The minister was seen stepping in to calm tensions, separating his security aides from the soldiers while demanding to see the approval documents for the land in question.
A soldier, who led the group at the scene, told Wike that his men were not intimidating anyone and that the landowner had obtained the necessary documents.
Reacting to the incident in a video posted on Facebook on Wednesday, Dokubo said Wike’s authority as FCT minister must be respected, insisting that the military officer involved acted improperly.
“I’m not taking sides with Wike; I’m taking sides with what is the law, the rule, and the convention,” Dokubo said.
“What happened yesterday — in any sane society — that person would be reprimanded and detained. The confrontation with the military man and the minister of FCT is uncalled for. The minister is the governor of the FCT and constitutionally the chief security officer, outside the president, of the city of Abuja.”
He maintained that while he has had differences with Wike in the past, the conduct of the officer was unacceptable.
“In any sane society, that fellow ought to have been court-martialled. It can’t happen anywhere outside Nigeria,” he said.
Dokubo further stressed that members of the armed forces are subject to the constitution and not above the law.
“If Wike himself did not go there, they would say government officials do not take their work seriously. As an executive officer, I didn’t see anything wrong with the minister going there. Nobody can accept that sort of affront from somebody who by law ought to see you as his superior,” the activist added.
