Nigerians have continued to voice their concerns about the confrontation between the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and a Naval Officer, A.M Yerima.
With Many calling for strict sanctions on the officer involved, describing his actions as an act against the tenet of the rule of law, others justified his action against the Minister, commending his gallantry.
Defends Minister backs officer
In a new twist of event, the Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru, has defended the action of Lieutenant A.M Yerima, the naval officer who stood up to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, over access to a parcel of land allegedly belonging to former Chief of Naval Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo.
Badaru assured that the Ministry of Defence and the Military High Command will protect every soldier on lawful duty.
“ Well, at the Ministry, and indeed the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty.
“So we are looking into this issue, and we assure that any officer on lawful duty will be protected highly, so we will not allow anything to happen to him as long far he is doing his job, and he’s doing his job greatly well,” Badaru explained.
Dele Farotimi Condemns Officer’s action
Human rights activist, Dele Farotimi condemned the officers action describing it as an affront to the tenet of the rule of law.
Farotimi Wrote, “Nigerians will applaud anyone and anything that discomfits their oppressors. They reflexively applauded Trump, fraudulent patriotism be damned, and now they applaud Yerima’s regimented impunity, as an antidote to Wike’s madness..
“Have you wondered if the order Yerima is obeying is legal? If Yerima, Wike, and the officer who gave the order are subject to the rule of law, would the officer be able to order a NAVAL officer to secure a disputed plot of land? What is the role of the courts? I detest Wike’s methods, but my loyalty is to the law and the truth.
“You guys are missing the point, and this is largely because of the involvement of a man as divisive and odious as Wike. I am deliberately blind to the persons involved and I am focused on the systemic issues. Wike has no business on the land, but it is wrong to deploy military personnel in protection of a land in dispute.”
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Asari Dokubo backs prosecution of officer
In a video on Facebook, the Former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo on Wednesday, condemned the face-off between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike and some military officers.
“I’m not taking side with Wike, I’m taking side with what is the law, the rule, and the convention. What happened yesterday, in any sane society, that person will 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, he is the chief security officer outside the president of the city of Abuja.
“I might not like Wike, our relationships have witnessed ups and downs, but in any sane society that fellow ought to have been court marshalled. It can’t happen anywhere outside Nigeria.
“There is law in Abuja and nobody has the right to go and develop a piece of property without following the laid down rules and regulations pertaining to developing properties.
“A military man is subjected to the constitution, he is not above the constitution. If Wike himself did not go there, they would say government officials do not take their work serious.
“In an executive system of government the bulk at the table of the executive officer l, I didn’t see anything wrong in the Minister going there. The only place I had a problem with him was the language he used when he was leaving.
“Nobody can accept that sort of affront from somebody who by the law ought to see you as his superior.”
Action against rule of law- Lawyer
