BREAKING: Wike’s Conduct a Threat to National Security, Must Apologise to Tinubu, Armed Forces, and the Specific Officer Whose Honour Was Violated — Former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai
Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd.), has condemned the altercation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a military officer in Abuja, describing the minister’s conduct as a direct threat to national security.
Buratai, in a statement released on his verified Facebook page, said Wike must tender an immediate and unequivocal apology to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the entire Nigerian Armed Forces, and the soldier who was publicly confronted during the incident.
The confrontation, earlier reported by News Week Nigeria, occurred on November 11, 2025, when Wike and senior officials of the FCT Administration attempted to access a parcel of land but were stopped by armed soldiers stationed at the site. According to eyewitness accounts, the officers insisted on restricting access, prompting an exchange in which an aide of the minister accused the soldiers of being “unprofessional” and of “threatening a minister.”
Reacting to the viral footage, Buratai said Wike’s behaviour was not only disrespectful but dangerous.
“The events of November 11, 2025, involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, demand an immediate and serious response. His public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces transcends mere misconduct; it represents a palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity,” he wrote.
Buratai stressed that publicly confronting a soldier in uniform amounts to an attack on Nigeria’s command-and-control structure.
“A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline. It undermines the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and wounds the morale of those who serve under the Nigerian flag. Such actions erode the very foundation of discipline upon which our national security apparatus stands,” he added.
Describing the incident as “reckless,” the former Army Chief said it cannot be dismissed as mere political drama but should be viewed as behaviour capable of undermining the federal government’s authority.
He insisted that Wike must issue a public apology to President Tinubu, the Armed Forces, and the officer involved.
“Our nation’s security must come first. It is time for decisive action, not politics of military bashing. The integrity of our Armed Forces demands nothing less.”
