Naval officers reportedly acting on orders from retired Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, former Chief of Naval Staff, confronted and blocked Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike on Monday during an inspection of an alleged illegal development.
Wike, accompanied by senior FCT administration officials, visited plot 1946, Buffer Transit Southern Park Way, Gaduwa District, owned by Vice Admiral Gambo, where the Department of Development Control had planned a demolition.
The military officers reportedly blocked the site with a truck to prevent bulldozers from gaining access and physically confronted the Minister, insisting he would not be allowed entry.
Despite being shoved aside by the officers, Wike attempted to enter the site with his security aides but eventually turned back after making and receiving phone calls.
He vowed, however, that the illegal development would not be allowed to continue.
The FCT Minister stated that Vice Admiral Gambo has no approvals or legal papers to develop the land and accused him of attempting to seize it through intimidation.
Wike said, “I don’t understand how somebody who holds that position and he said that he has a problem cannot approach my office to say, look, this is what is going on, this is what is going on. But simply because he’s a military man, he could use that to intimidate Nigerians. I’m not one of those kinds of persons who will succumb to blackmail or intimidation.
“And you can imagine where you cannot even prove where the documents are. And the Director of Development Control said, look, I was here. I said bring the documents, you don’t have the documents.
“Bring the approval for building, you don’t have it. And how can we continue to allow lawlessness to prevail in this country? What about those who don’t have the military? What about those who don’t have security? It has gotten to a level where when government officials are doing, carrying out their job, you go and bring security to intimidate them. And this government official, I will not accept that.
“I’ve spoken to the Chief of Defence Staff and I’ve spoken to the Chief of Naval Staff, and they have assured me that, please, they have to resolve the matter. And we’re not coming here to have a shootout with anybody to cause chaos and all. But what I can say, I would not allow it to happen.
“The way we have done and carried out our jobs in other areas is the same way it will be done here. He will not carry out this illegal deployment on land simply because he was a former Chief of Naval Staff. I would not allow that.”
Source; The Nation News