He Should Have Respected Military Protocol’ – Matawalle Reacts To Wike’s Heated Clash With Navy Officer

Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has dismissed any plan to sanction Lieutenant Ahmad Yerima, the naval officer who clashed with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, during an inspection at a disputed land site in Abuja.

Speaking in an interview with DCL Hausa, Matawalle addressed the viral video of the altercation, which has stirred widespread debate on the relationship between civilian authorities and the military.

According to the minister, the confrontation was unnecessary and could have been avoided if proper administrative procedures had been followed.

“The minister should not have confronted him. Lieutenant Yerima was acting under instructions. If Wike had any concerns, he should have reached out to the officer’s superiors or to me directly, since I oversee naval affairs,” Matawalle stated.

He commended the naval officer for maintaining composure during the tense exchange, noting that Yerima acted professionally.

“From the footage, it is clear that he remained respectful while defending his position. As far as we are concerned, he did not violate any military rule or regulation,” he added.

The incident took place on Monday at Plot 1946, Gaduwa District, where Wike accused soldiers of blocking FCT Development Control officials from enforcing a stop-work order on an allegedly illegal construction linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (retd.)

While Wike insisted that the developers lacked valid approval documents, the soldiers maintained they were acting on “orders from above.”

Matawalle revealed that the Chief of Naval Staff had already initiated an internal probe into the land ownership dispute but clarified that no formal complaint had been lodged by Wike.

“This whole issue could have been avoided,” he said. “Before the visit, the minister had already spoken with the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that the matter would be properly investigated.”