Former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, has blasted the naval officer who confronted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, during an inspection of a disputed property in Abuja, calling the act a disgrace and demanding immediate court-martial.
The drama unfolded at Plot 1946, Gaduwa District, when a naval officer identified as A.M. Yerima, allegedly acting on the orders of ex–Chief of Naval Staff, Awal Gambo, blocked Wike and his team from entering the property.
The face-off generated outrage across the country, and Dokubo didn’t mince words.
In a video on his Facebook page, he thundered, “I’m not taking sides with Wike, I’m taking sides with what is the law, the rule, and the convention. What happened yesterday, in any sane society, that person would be reprimanded and detained.”
He fumed that Yerima’s action was “uncalled for,” stressing that Wike, as Minister of the FCT, is “the governor of the FCT and, constitutionally, the chief security officer, next to the president.”
“I might not like Wike, our relationships have witnessed ups and downs, but in any sane society, that fellow ought to have been court-martialled. It can’t happen anywhere outside Nigeria,” Dokubo declared.
He insisted that no one, not even a military officer, is above the law.
“There is law in Abuja, and nobody has the right to develop a piece of property without following the laid-down rules and regulations,” he said.
Asari defended Wike’s presence at the site, adding, “If Wike himself had not gone there, they would say government officials do not take their work seriously. I didn’t see anything wrong with the minister going there. Nobody can accept that sort of affront from somebody who, by the law, ought to see you as his superior.”
