Ex-Army Chief Buratai says Wike’s exchange with Naval officer wounds morale of every officer, urges Tinubu to take action
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), has warned that the confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a Nigerian Navy officer in Abuja represents “a clear and present danger to national security” and called for urgent corrective action.
Buratai, in a statement on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, said Wike’s conduct during the exchange “transcends mere misconduct” and “undermines the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and the integrity of the Armed Forces.”
The FCT minister, accompanied by senior officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority, had visited the site to halt what he described as an “illegal construction” when he confronted a naval officer supervising the property.
However, Buratai, in his reaction, said the minister’s tone and public rebuke of a uniformed officer amounted to “a reckless act that strikes at the core of Nigeria’s command and control structure.”
He said, “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.”
He added, “This action by Wike is clearly an indication of undermining the Federal Government’s authority. It disrespects the Commander-in-Chief and wounds the morale of every officer who serves under the Nigerian flag.”
Buratai, who served as Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff from 2015 to 2021, urged President Bola Tinubu to treat the matter as a national security concern.
“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 declared.
“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,” he added.
