NDYC Backs Military Veterans, IGP, Condemns Wike Over Clash with Naval Officer
By Ezekiel Kagbala
The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) has aligned with the Coalition of Military Veterans and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in condemning the conduct of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, during his recent confrontation with a naval officer, Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, in the Gaduwa area of Abuja.
In a statement personally signed and released to journalists in Warri on Friday, the President of the Council, Comrade (Chief) Bene Mamamu, expressed concern over the viral video showing Wike’s convoy in a heated altercation with naval personnel securing a site reportedly belonging to the Nigerian Navy.
Bene Mamamu aligned himself with the positions earlier expressed by former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor (retd.), who warned that disrespecting military personnel carries grave implications for national authority. According to Irabor, “The uniform is not about who is wearing it; it represents the authority of the state. Whether it’s a young officer or a senior one, when you make disparaging remarks or act against them, you are, in fact, insulting the state itself.”
Mamamu also echoed the concerns of former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), who stated that the minister’s conduct went beyond political drama. Buratai noted that, “The minister’s public humiliation of a soldier is not political theatre. It is an attack on the foundation of our national order.”
According to the statement, Lt. Yerima and his team were acting on official military directives to prevent encroachment on the land when the minister attempted to gain entry, resulting in a tense exchange between Wike’s security aides and the officers on duty.
Mamamu said the NDYC fully supports the position earlier expressed by Military Veterans who described the public confrontation as embarrassing and capable of weakening civilian confidence in the discipline of the Armed Forces. He stressed that humiliating a uniformed officer lawfully carrying out his duties sets “a dangerous precedent” for political interference in military operations.
He further noted that the minister failed to follow due process before confronting officers who were acting strictly under the Nigerian Navy’s command structure.
According to Mamamu: “Undermining the dignity of a uniformed officer undermines national security, strains military civil relations and paints the Armed Forces as weak and disorganised if Lieutenant Yerima had succumbed to political pressure. The minister’s approach disregards national institutions, the authority of the Commander-in-Chief, and the integrity of the Armed Forces.”
The NDYC President urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to caution his 'superstar minister' warning that Wike’s conduct increasingly suggests an attempt to operate beyond the limits of civil authority.
Mamamu commended Lt. Yerima for maintaining professionalism and restraint despite provocation and urged the Nigerian Navy and Defence Headquarters to ensure that political pressures do not erode discipline within the Armed Forces.
