“A Threat to National Security”- Buratai Condemns Wike’s Public Confrontation with Naval Officer

“A Threat to National Security”- Buratai Condemns Wike’s Public Confrontation with Naval Officer

A former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), has issued a stern warning, stating that the public confrontation between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and a Nigerian Navy officer poses a “clear and present danger to national security” and requires urgent intervention.

The clash occurred in Abuja’s Gaduwa District during a visit by the FCT Minister to a construction site. Minister Wike, accompanied by officials from the Federal Capital Development Authority, had moved to halt what he termed an “illegal construction” on a parcel of land allegedly linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.

A viral video from the incident shows Wike in a heated exchange with a naval officer present at the site.

In the video, Wike is heard asserting the primacy of civil law, stating, “You are in uniform, and you’re telling me that the Navy owns this land? Who gave you the right to build without approval? Even if you are the Chief of Naval Staff, the law must be respected.”

The officer responded that the property belonged to a former service chief and that the military was authorized to protect it.

Reacting in a statement on his verified Facebook page, the former army chief condemned the minister’s conduct, arguing that it “transcends mere misconduct” and “undermines the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and the integrity of the Armed Forces.”

He described the minister’s public rebuke as a “reckless act that strikes at the core of Nigeria’s command and control structure.”

“A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline that strikes at the very foundation of our national security apparatus. It is not political theatre, it is a reckless endangerment of national order,”Buratai stated.

He further contended that the action was an indication of undermining the Federal Government’s authority and disrespecting the President as Commander-in-Chief.

Calling for immediate corrective measures, the retired general demanded that “Barrister Nyesom Wike must tender an immediate and unequivocal public apology to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Commander-in-Chief, to the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and to the specific officer whose honour was violated.”

He concluded by urging the President to treat the matter as a pressing national security concern, adding,

“The integrity of our Armed Forces demands nothing less. Our nation’s security must come first. It is time for decisive action, not politics of military bashing.”

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