Defence minister criticises Wike over clash with military officer, says soldier acted lawfully

Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has described the recent confrontation between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a military officer as “unfortunate,” insisting that the serviceman simply carried out lawful orders and committed no military offence.

Speaking on the widely circulated video of the encounter, Matawalle explained that the officer had made it clear on Wike’s arrival that he was acting strictly on directives issued to him.

“Wike should not have exchanged words with the officer,” he said. “He ought to have channelled his concerns through the officer’s superiors.

”The officer’s action was lawful, he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders.

”He merely performed his duty and deserves commendation, ” he said.

The minister also emphasised that there was no breach of military regulations, noting that the officer conducted himself with restraint and respect.

“There is no offence under military law for which he can be charged.

“Wike should not have engaged him in an altercation, especially considering the uniform he was wearing.

”Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief, ” he said.

He stressed that defending the officer’s conduct did not mean encouraging disrespect toward civilians, but was rather a matter of following established hierarchy.

“The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors. I gathered that he contacted the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to wait for an investigation,.

“However, he did not wait and chose to go straight to the site,” he said.

According to Matawalle, Wike also called the Chief of Naval Staff, who similarly assured him that an inquiry would be launched.

“Yet again, he did not wait. It was supposed to be a one-day investigation, but he proceeded to confront the officers.”

The minister added that the Chief of Naval Staff has since visited the disputed location, as the incident involves a land matter that requires formal verification of ownership documents.

“If the land has been revoked, there are established diplomatic procedures to address that,” Matawalle noted.

He disclosed that the Defence Ministry had received no formal complaint from Wike, but said he personally reached out to the minister after the video gained public attention.

“I called him and advised that he should have spoken with me before going there, rather than confronting the officers directly,” Matawalle said.