Matawalle: Wike Shouldn’t Have Approached Young Officer the way he did
Minister of State for Defence and former Zamfara governor, Bello Matawalle, has defended the military officer who clashed with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over a disputed parcel of land in Abuja.
He said the officer acted within the law and would not face any punishment.
A video of the encounter, which circulated widely on social media, showed Wike in a heated exchange with the uniformed officer at a construction site in Abuja.
In the footage, the FCT minister was seen demanding to see the approval documents for the site, insisting that the development must have official authorisation.
The officer, however, responded that the papers were in order and that the military presence at the location was to ensure due process.
But Matawalle, reacting in an interview with DCL Hausa, said the officer did nothing wrong and that his conduct reflected discipline and respect for lawful procedures.
“What happened with the minister is not good. The FCT minister was not supposed to approach the young officer like that,” Matawalle said.
“He (Wike) is our colleague, even if there is an issue, he should have contacted us first.”
The minister said the officer’s reaction was professional and that he only followed standard protocol.
“What the soldier did was correct because he was trained to follow due process. He acted respectfully and deserves appreciation for that.
“In military law, there is no punishment for that because he did the right thing by following due process and the law”, he added.
Matawalle emphasised that the minister’s tone during the exchange was unnecessary adding that government officials should respect the chain of command when dealing with military personnel.
“When the minister met him, he should not have exchanged words with him, even just because of his uniform.
“Whoever wrongs a military officer, it’s as if they wronged the president, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces”, he noted.
The minister further revealed that before Wike visited the site, the Chief of Defence Staff had advised him to wait for an investigation into the matter.
“He made an inquiry before going there. The Chief of Defence Staff told him to wait for investigation, but he refused and approached the soldiers directly.
“As a leader, he should have waited. Even the Navy said they will conduct their own investigation”, he explained.
Matawalle said he personally reached out to Wike after the incident and reminded him that the matter could have been handled differently.
“I called him after I saw the video. I told him he should have called me first, and he said he was told. I assured him I would investigate the issue,” he said.
The minister added that no formal complaint had been received from the FCT minister regarding the incident.
“Nothing will happen to that military man. It’s not about defending the military; as I said, we are following law and order. The minister knows that the officer has superiors,” he stated.
Matawalle maintained that the Defence Ministry would continue to protect officers performing lawful duties and commended the military personnel for their composure during the encounter.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, also reaffirmed that the federal government and military authorities would safeguard all soldiers engaged in lawful assignments.
