Joe Igbokwe Calls for Sack of Military Officer Who Stood Up against Wike: “Remove His Uniform ASAP”
- Joe Igbokwe demanded the sack of Lt Yarima for confronting Minister Nyesom Wike during a tense encounter in Abuja
- Viral video showed Wike exchanging heated words with soldiers who blocked him from accessing FCT land in Gaduwa
- Wike vowed not to be intimidated by armed personnel insisting no one is above civil authority
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has called for the immediate dismissal of the Nigerian Naval officer who confronted the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, during a heated altercation in Abuja.
Ibokwe condemns officer’s conduct
Source: Twitter
In a post shared on Facebook, Igbokwe criticised the conduct of the officer identified as Lieutenant Yarima, describing his actions as “disrespectful” to constituted authority.
“This is the young man, Lt. Yarima, that challenged FCT 001, His Excellency Nyesom Wike.
"The young officer has no respect for constituted authority. This is unacceptable. His uniform should be removed ASAP,” Igbokwe wrote.
Igbokwe’s statement followed a viral video showing the tense exchange between Wike and the soldiers who reportedly blocked the minister from accessing a piece of land in Gaduwa, Abuja.
Tense confrontation in Gaduwa
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, November 11, sparked widespread debate after footage showed Wike angrily confronting armed military officers who denied him entry.
“You are a fool,” Wike was heard shouting at one of the officers.
The soldier, later identified as Lt. Yarima, replied calmly:
“I am not a fool but an officer.”
Efforts by Wike’s security team to persuade the soldiers failed, as the military personnel insisted they were acting on “orders from above.”
Wike says he won’t be intimidated
Source: Facebook
Visibly angered, the minister accused the soldiers of undermining civil authority and warned against attempts to intimidate government officials.
“You cannot be higher than any government. You cannot carry a gun to intimidate anybody. I am not one of those that they can intimidate,” Wike declared.
He further stated,
“I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position cannot approach my office to resolve issues. Simply because he is a military man, he thinks he can use that to intimidate Nigerians.”
Ibokwe, however, maintained that the soldier’s behaviour represented “gross insubordination” that should not be tolerated.
Buratai speaks on Wike's clash with military officers
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), might have gotten it wrong with his confrontation with a soldier in uniform during his enforcement visit to a disputed land in Abuja on Tuesday, November 11.
In a Facebook post hours after the incident, the former army boss noted that the "public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces" by the minister went beyond ordinary misconduct, but was a potential threat to the integrity of the institution and national security.
According to Buratai, Wike's verbal assault on the military officer who was in uniform was purely "profound indiscipline", which was purely against Nigeria's "command and control structure." He explained that it is a direct disrespect to the "Commander-in-Chief", which is President Bola Tinubu.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
