The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has addressed his recent confrontation with a naval officer over a disputed plot of land said to be linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday ahead of a meeting of the FCT Executive Council, Mr. Wike criticised what he described as the retired naval chief’s audacity in deploying active-duty officers to guard the contested property.

Defending his presence at the site amid public scrutiny, the minister insisted that he could not remain in his office while government officials were under attack, emphasising his duty as a public officer to intervene.

“How can I sit as a minister when government officials are being attacked and beaten up—officials at the level of directors? And I will just sit in my office doing what?” he said.

The confrontation occurred on Tuesday in the Gaduwa district, where tensions escalated between Mr. Wike, his entourage, and a group of soldiers stationed at the property.

The minister alleged that the retired naval officer was carrying out unauthorised development on the land and accused the officer of ordering the assault of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) personnel who had visited the site to halt the construction.

Addressing the matter further on Thursday, the former Rivers State governor condemned the deployment of military personnel to obstruct lawful enforcement by FCT officials, describing it as an unacceptable misuse of authority.

“Many influential Nigerians have had similar land issues. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former Head of State and President, will simply call me. He will say, ‘Minister, I have a problem on this land, can you help?’ and I will solve it.

“That is a former Head of State, a former elected President, who has the courtesy to call the minister: ‘We have this problem, see how you can look into it.’ General T. Y. Danjuma will call you. They never sent soldiers to attack anybody. They just call,” Mr. Wike said.

He emphasised that the dispute should not be interpreted as a clash between the military and the government, noting that if such institutional conflict existed, he would have formally written to the military for clarification.

Mr. Wike stressed that all parties must follow due process and respect officially approved land allocations. He reiterated his respect for all government institutions, including the military, and maintained that his involvement in the incident was aimed solely at restoring order.