Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Following Tuesday’s bloody face-off between the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mr..Nyemson Wike and Naval Officer V.A Yerima over an allegation of land grabbing, Minister for Defence, Mr. Bello Metawalle has noted that it was President Bola Tinubu that the former Rivers State governor disrespected with his act.
Metawalle spoke on the development, stressing that Wike should not have engaged the Naval Officer in an altercation, especially out of respect for the uniform he was wearing.
His words: “Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. There is, therefore, no basis for any punishment against the officer.
“This is not about supporting the military to act disrespectfully toward civilians. The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors. I gathered that he called the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to wait for an investigation.
“However, he did not wait and instead went straight to the site. As a leader, he ought to have exercised patience and waited for the outcome of the investigation.
“Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an investigation would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait. It was supposed to be a one-day inquiry, but he chose to go there and confront them”
He pressed further that “What happened between Minister Wike and the officer is unfortunate. When he got there, the officer explained that he was simply obeying orders given to him. Wike should not have exchanged words with the officer; he ought to have addressed his concerns through the officer’s superiors.
“He (Wike) is our colleague, and Wike could have reached out to us to resolve whatever issue. The officer’s action was lawful—he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders. Therefore, the young officer only carried out his duty worthy of commendation.
“He did not commit any offence under military regulations; he merely obeyed a lawful order and followed due process. If you observe carefully, he spoke respectfully and conducted himself properly. There is, therefore, no offence under military law for which he should be charged “