Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Publicity and Communications to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday questioned former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), over his comments on the minister’s altercation with a naval officer in Abuja.

Olayinka, who spoke on Channels Television, monitored by our correspondent, said he was surprised that Buratai was more concerned about the minister’s exchange with a uniformed officer than about the redeployment of military personnel to perform duties unrelated to national security.

“When I read the statement by Tukur Buratai, I was like — a former Chief of Army Staff is not concerned about talking to a uniform man. He’s not concerned about military men who should be at the war front,” Olayinka said.

“Naval officers who should be in the Chad Basin confronting terrorists are being converted into private guards guarding uncompleted buildings. Which one is a security threat to Nigeria?”

Olayinka argued that the naval officer involved in Tuesday’s confrontation acted unlawfully, stressing that “not all orders are lawful.”

He maintained that Wike, as FCT Minister, was within his rights to question the presence of armed personnel on disputed land.

He said, “The land in question was allocated to Santo Estate Limited in 2007, for Parks and recreation. In 2022, the company wrote to the then FCT Minister, seeking approval to change the land use purpose to residential. While still waiting for a response to this request, the company decided to partition the land and sell it to people, Including the former Chief of Naval Staff.

“The then FCT Minister declined the request to change the land use purpose from Parks and recreation to residential. Meanwhile, Santos Estate Limited already sold the land to unsuspecting people, including the former CNS, who is building DUPLEXES on his own.

“Like I said earlier, shouldn’t the former Chief of Naval Staff be more concerned with the person who scammed him rather than using the military might to hold on to a property on which he was duped?

His reaction followed Buratai’s earlier warning that the altercation between Wike and the naval officer posed a “clear and present danger to national security.”

In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, Buratai had argued that Wike’s conduct undermined the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and eroded military discipline.

He described the minister’s action as “a public humiliation of a soldier” and “an attack on the foundation of national order.”

Buratai also advised Wike to issue a public apology to President Bola Tinubu and the naval officer. (The Nation)