Video: Wike reacts after being blocked from Abuja land

Tension erupted in Abuja on Tuesday when military personnel prevented Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike from accessing a piece of land in Gaduwa.

The incident, monitored by PrimeTell, occurred when Wike arrived at the location with officials of the Federal Capital Territory Development Association (FCDA), only to be stopped by soldiers manning the site.

The visibly angry minister raised his voice at the armed officers, but the military personnel maintained their position, insisting they were following orders from superior authorities.

“You are a fool,” Wike barked at the officer who seemed to be the leader of the team, but responding calmly, the soldier said, “I am not a fool.”

Despite attempts by Wike’s security detail to negotiate entry, the soldiers refused to grant access.

“We cannot continue to act in impunity. We cannot continue this way. This country cannot go along this line,” the minister said.

“You cannot be higher than any government. You cannot be carrying a gun to intimidate anybody. I am not one of those that they can intimidate,” the minister shouted, yet the soldiers who said they were acting on orders from above refused to allow him go in.

The former Rivers State Governor expressed frustration over what he described as improper use of military authority to prevent government officials from performing their duties.

“I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position, seeing that he has a problem, cannot approach my office to say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on,’ or simply because he is a military man, they could use that to intimidate Nigerians,” Wike stated.

“I’m not one of those kinds of people who will succumb to blackmail.”

The standoff highlights growing tensions over land administration in the FCT, with disputes often involving multiple claiming parties protected by security forces.