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Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Social Media, has shed more light on the encounter between his principal and soldiers on Tuesday.
Soldiers prevented Wike from accessing a piece of land in Gaduwa area of Abuja.
Arms-wielding soldiers had prevented the minister and a team from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from accessing the property owned by former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo.
“Because he was told to stop building on a land he has no TITLE DOCUMENT and Building Approval, former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, sent his Armed Military Security Details to attack men of the FCTA Department of Development Control.”
“He also stationed armed Military Men to protect the illegal development, with the Military Men threatening to shoot anyone who interfere with them.
“Today, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, visited the site, after talking to the Chief of Defence Staff on Phone.”
Wike had asked why the soldiers mounted a siege to the property simply because it was linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.
“Because you are an officer? Nobody does that. The man took land because he was the Chief of Naval Staff?” Wike said.
But the officer objected saying the acquisition was lawful.
“I am an officer with integrity. Everything was acquired legally,” he replied.
“Shut up,” Wike thundered, to which the officer responded, “I will not shut up.”
“You are a very big fool. As at the time I graduated, you were still in primary school,” Wike shouted.
“I am not a fool sir, I am not a fool sir, I am not a fool sir, I am not a fool, sir. I am acting on orders, I am acting on orders, I am acting on orders, I am acting on orders,” the officer replied.
“You will see if you will not leave here. Go and develop there and let me see,” the minister had said.
The security men in Wike’s entourage had earlier tried to persuade the soldiers to allow Wike access the land but they refused,
“We cannot continue to act in impunity. We cannot continue this way. This country cannot go along this line.”
“You cannot be higher than any government. You cannot be carrying a gun to intimidate anybody. I am not one of those that they can intimidate,” the minister shouted, yet the soldiers who said they were acting on orders from above refused to allow him go in.
“I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position, seeing that he has a problem, cannot approach my office to say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on,’ or simply because he is a military man, they could use that to intimidate Nigerians.”
