Wike–Navy Confrontation: NCYP warns Nigerians against undermining civil authority

The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) expresses deep concern over the recent confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer, Lt. A. Yerima, who obstructed the Minister from accessing a parcel of land under the jurisdiction of the FCT Administration.

According to a signed statement on Friday by the Chairman, Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP), Isaac Abrak said the
incident represents a grave violation of democratic order and risks setting a dangerous precedent that undermines the supremacy of civilian authority — the foundation of every stable democracy.

Abrak said: “In line with NCYP’s adherence to the law, renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, along with other respected Nigerian legal luminaries, has affirmed that the Minister acted within his constitutional powers under the Land Use Act and the Federal Capital Territory Act (Section 18(1)(b)), which vests authority in the FCT Minister to grant statutory rights of occupancy and manage lands within the FCT.

“Any attempt to prevent a Minister from accessing lands under his jurisdiction is therefore ultra vires, unconstitutional, and an affront to the democratic authority of the President, delegated to the Minister by the Nigerian people through the ballot box.

“It is important to note that the property the Navy personnel were guarding is not a military property. It is said to be linked to a retired naval admiral, making it a private property. No law empowers the military to deploy serving personnel to protect private real estate, particularly in a manner that obstructs a sitting Minister from performing his statutory duties as the Chief Executive of the FCT. This makes the Navy’s actions not only unlawful but an egregious overreach of military authority.

“While NCYP acknowledges that Minister Wike may have exercised poor judgment in some of his statements, this does not excuse the constitutional violation committed by the naval officer and those who authorized his deployment. The officer’s actions constitute a serious infraction against the Nigerian people, because the Minister exercises not personal power but the delegated authority of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, granted through the sovereign will of Nigerians at the ballot box.

“Many Nigerians may not personally support Minister Wike. However, this is not about Wike the individual; it is about the office he occupies. Celebrating the humiliation of that institution today risks emboldening similar violations tomorrow against whoever occupies the office, and by extension, against the authority of the Nigerian people.

“Across established democracies, the principle of civilian supremacy over the military is well documented:

“United States – Tailhook Scandal, 1991: Senior U.S. Navy officers implicated in misconduct at the Tailhook symposium initially resisted civilian oversight by Secretary of the Navy H. Lawrence Garrett III. Subsequent actions by civilian authorities led to the dismissal or forced retirement of admirals including Rear Admiral Duvall M. Williams, Rear Admiral John E. Gordon, and demotion of Vice Admiral Richard M. Dunleavy, reaffirming that even top-ranking officers cannot override civilian leadership.

“United Kingdom – Defence Secretary Oversight, 1982–1983: British generals who challenged operational directives of the Defence Secretary faced public rebukes and dismissals, including interactions with Defence Secretary Sir John Nott during the Falklands War, reinforcing that civilian ministers maintain ultimate authority over the military.

“Canada – Military Accountability, 1996–1999: Canadian military officers attempted to block directives from Defence Minister David Collenette regarding personnel and base operations. Federal authorities sanctioned the officers and reaffirmed that all military personnel are subordinate to civilian ministerial orders.

“These examples illustrate that direct interference by the military against civilian ministers is extremely rare in mature democracies, and is universally considered a breach of constitutional norms. The Wike–Yerima incident, by contrast, represents a clear violation of democratic principles, as the military acted to obstruct lawful civil authority over private property.”

NCYP called for Immediate Corrective Action, asking President Bola Tinubu to order a full investigation into why military personnel were deployed to guard private property.
Discipline all officers involved.
Reaffirm the supremacy of civilian authority in the strongest terms.

To Minister Wike:
Issue an official apology to the military institution for any inappropriate language.
Clarify that his comments were directed at the illegal act, not the Armed Forces.

To the Nigerian Navy:
Issue a formal apology to the FCT Administration.
Ensure no officer is again used to block a civilian authority from executing statutory duties.

To Nigerians:
Recognize that protecting democracy means defending institutions, not personalities.
Resist politicizing this constitutional issue.
Guard against normalization of military interference in civil governance.

NCYP warns that ignoring this incident or celebrating the military’s overreach risks eroding democratic governance and emboldening future insubordination. The authority exercised by Ministers, Governors, and other civil officials exists to serve the Nigerian people, and any violation must be corrected decisively.