Defence Minister backs naval officer in brawl with Wike
By Samuel Ogunsona
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has expressed sypport for a naval officer involved in a brawl with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The controversy surrounds a parcel of land allegedly belonging to a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo.
Reports monitored by Irohinoodua saw a tense confrontation erupted between Wike and the naval officer, Lieutenant A.M Yerima, over access to a piece of land.
A video of the exchange showed Wike accusing the officer of unlawfully taking possession of the property.
Badaru assured that the Ministry of Defence and the Military High Command would protect every soldier on lawful duty.
“Well, at the Ministry, and indeed the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty,” he said. “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 so far he is doing his job, and he’s doing his job greatly well.”
The defence minister’s statement comes amid widespread attention to the dispute, with many Nigerians condemning the officers’ conduct in the encounter with Wike. Meanwhile, Wike’s spokesperson has alleged that the former Naval Chief was duped, providing more details on the dispute.
