A former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, on Wednesday condemned the confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and military officers over a disputed property in Abuja.
The incident occurred when a naval officer, A.M. Yerima, claiming to act on the orders of a former Chief of Naval Staff, Awal Gambo, engaged Wike in a heated argument and blocked him and officials of the FCT Administration from accessing the land at Plot 1946, Gaduwa District, Abuja.
Reacting to the standoff, Dokubo called for the officer involved to be reprimanded and court-martialled by the appropriate authorities.
In a video shared on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Asari said, “I’m not taking sides with Wike, I’m taking sides with what is the law, the rule, and the convention. What happened yesterday, in any sane society, that person would 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, next to the president, of the city of Abuja.”
The ex-militant leader said that he believes Yerima should be charged.
“I might not like Wike, our relationships have witnessed ups and downs, but in any sane society, that fellow ought to have been court-martialled. It can’t happen anywhere outside Nigeria.
“There is law in Abuja, and nobody has the right to develop a piece of property without following the laid-down rules and regulations.
“A military man is subject to the Constitution; he is not above it. If Wike himself had not gone there, they would say government officials do not take their work seriously,” he said.
In an executive system of government, Dokubo added, “I didn’t see anything wrong with the minister going there. Nobody can accept that sort of affront from somebody who, by the law, ought to see you as his superior.”
