The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, on Wednesday said the ministry is investigating the confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer, A. M. Yerima, over a disputed piece of land in Abuja.
Speaking during a press briefing to commence activities for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the National Defence College, Abuja, Badaru said the Armed Forces would not abandon any personnel carrying out lawful duties.
He said, “Well, at the ministry, and indeed the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty.
“We are looking into this issue, and we assure all that any officer on lawful duty will be highly protected. We will not allow anything to happen to him so long as he is doing his job, and he is doing his job very well.”
In a video obtained by our correspondent, the visibly enraged minister questioned the presence of armed personnel on the land, said to belong to a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo (retd.).
Beyond the incident, Badaru used the briefing to unveil new initiatives aimed at strengthening military operations, veteran welfare, and national security.
He announced that the Federal Government had initiated a programme tagged “Reclaiming the Ungoverned Space for Economic Benefits Programme (RUSEB-P)”, which will deploy retired yet agile military veterans to help secure and rehabilitate areas previously occupied by terrorists.
“By engaging veterans to reinforce local security and initiate projects like farming and mining, RUSEB-P will prevent the resurgence of terrorism, revitalise local economies, and strengthen national security and cohesion,” he said.
