The young naval officer at the center of a viral confrontation with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike over a disputed land plot in Abuja committed no wrongdoing, according to Dr. Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought. In a pointed interview on Arise Television’s News Night program, monitored by TheNigeriaLawyer on Wednesday, Amadi defended the officer’s actions as aligned with standard military procedure, while critiquing the minister’s approach to the standoff.
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The incident, which erupted on Tuesday, saw Wike and officials from the FCT Administration (FCTA) clash with soldiers guarding the site. Military personnel, led by the naval officer, had been deployed to secure the location amid claims of a revoked land allocation. Viral videos of the tense exchange have sparked widespread public debate, with Amadi emphasizing that the officer was “authorized to be there and protect the location,” and that Wike “cannot override the instruction given to the soldier.”
Amadi, a prominent legal scholar, drew a clear line between the minister’s executive authority and the non-delegable powers of the Commander-in-Chief. “The minister is an aide exercising the power of the president under the FCT Act, the Territory Act, and FCDA law,” he explained. “But he does not exercise the power of the Commander-in-Chief—nobody does apart from the president.” Under Section 5 of the Constitution, Amadi noted, the president’s chief executive power over domestic policy can be delegated to ministers, but the Commander-in-Chief role over security and the military remains exclusively with the head of state.
While acknowledging that Wike may have lawfully revoked the allocation through due process, Amadi argued it was “needless for the FCT Minister to go there with people to get the officers out.” Instead, the minister should have reported the matter to the Inspector-General of Police, as “it is the police that enforce the law in Nigeria.” The military’s role, he stressed, is not law enforcement but protection under lawful orders. “The officer acted in accordance with standard military procedure,” Amadi said, adding that protecting the site from ingress “is not, on the face of it, illegal.”
Echoing this sentiment, Defense Minister Muhammad Abubakar, speaking during a ministerial briefing at the National Defence College to flag off the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding troops. “At the ministry and indeed the armed forces, we will always protect officers on lawful duty,” Abubakar stated. “We are looking into the matter, and be rest assured that any officer on lawful duty will be protected. I will not allow anything to happen to an officer on lawful duty doing his job and he’s doing his job credibly well.”
Amadi praised the Defense Minister’s stance as “right,” underscoring that officers on legitimate assignments “need protection of the state because they are acting for the Commander-in-Chief.” He referenced Supreme Court rulings that soldiers cannot invoke superior orders to justify illegality such as entering a home and causing harm but clarified that sealing a site for protection does not fall into that category. “The soldier has to follow what appears to be a lawful instruction on the face of it,” he said.
The broader controversy, Amadi warned, exposes deeper flaws in Nigeria’s land governance. He called for scrapping the Land Use Act, describing it as enabling “misappropriation of land resources” by untrustworthy governors, ministers, and even the president. “This is racketeering, criminality at a high level over land resources, which is dangerous,” Amadi charged, citing examples like the revocation of an entire community’s land in Imo State under the guise of public good. “You can’t take from Sam and give to Adesuwa—that’s not public good.” He contrasted this with procedures in places like the US, where “takings” for public policy require bidding and manifest public purpose.
Amadi also highlighted potential misuse of leverage by a retired three-star general who reportedly authorized the deployment, noting that “if it’s a general, they would have thrown him out, pulling the house.” Yet, he maintained the focus should be on process: “Government officials should learn how to process actions.” With reports indicating the land dispute is already before the courts, Amadi urged restraint. “The issue is in court—allow the court to decide exactly.”
The clash, Amadi concluded, reflects a “lack of due process and civility in governance,” where civilian and military powers are wielded without adequate channels.
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