The National Coordinator of Lawyers for Civil Liberties, Opatola Victor, Esq., has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to approach the courts rather than engage in public altercations following reports of a confrontation between him and military officers over a disputed piece of land in Abuja.
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In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, Opatola described the incident as “deeply ironic” and “poetic,” noting that it mirrors the same experience many ordinary Nigerians face when government officials unlawfully seize their lands or demolish their properties.
“For years, Nigerian citizens whose lands were unlawfully seized or properties demolished have been told with arrogance and disdain, ‘If you don’t like it, go to court,’” he said. “Now, the table seems to have turned.”
Reports had emerged that Wike was involved in a heated exchange with naval officers who allegedly obstructed his attempt to access a disputed property in Gaduwa, Abuja. The confrontation, according to witnesses, created tension that could have escalated into violence.
Reacting to the development, Opatola said Wike should follow the same legal path often recommended to citizens.
“The Minister should go to court like every other Nigerian. Even if he believes the military officers deterred him from performing his lawful duty, he must approach the court, not resort to a televised altercation or press conference,” he stressed.
The activist lawyer criticized what he called the “culture of impunity” among public officials, who often disregard court orders and due process while expecting citizens to abide by them.
“When powerful people use the military to take over citizens’ lands, those citizens are told to go to court. So why can’t the Minister go to court too?” he asked.
He described “go to court” as both a taunt and a tragic symbol of Nigeria’s broken justice system, where victims of state excesses are mocked with the phrase even as officials themselves flout judicial authority.
“Why must Nigerians endure years of litigation while ministers settle grievances with fury and press statements?” Opatola queried. “If we are truly a country governed by laws, then every man — whether minister or mason — must bow before the same scales of justice.”
He concluded by saying that Wike’s experience should serve as “a bitter but necessary reminder that power is not impunity.”
“Maybe this is how Nigeria forces its leaders to taste what ordinary people swallow daily — a choking reminder that dignity in a democracy means submitting to the law, not standing above it,” he added.
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