Tension flared in Abuja on Tuesday as soldiers prevented Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), from accessing a plot of land in Gaduwa.
Wike, leading officials of the Federal Capital Territory Development Association (FCDA), was stopped at the site by armed personnel while efforts by his team to secure entry proved futile.
In a heated verbal exchange, Wike shouted at one of the soldiers, “You are a fool!” The officer calmly retorted, “I am not a fool.”
The minister condemned what he described as intimidation through military authority.
“You cannot be higher than any government. You cannot carry a gun to intimidate anybody. I am not one of those who can be intimidated,” he said.
Wike also questioned the chain of communication, adding, “I don’t understand how somebody in that position, seeing a problem, cannot approach my office. I am not the kind of person who succumbs to blackmail.”
The standoff underscores ongoing tensions over land access in the FCT and the delicate balance between civilian authority and military enforcement.
