Inside the Wike-Gambo Abuja Land controversy rocking the FCT

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, engaged in a heated confrontation with military personnel at a disputed land site in Gaduwa District, Abuja.

The altercation, captured in viral videos, occurred at Plot 1946, Buffer Transit, Southern Parkway, and showed Wike exchanging words with a naval officer identified as Lieutenant A. M. Yerima.

The incident quickly drew widespread public attention and stirred debates on military-civilian relations in Nigeria’s democracy.

According to reports, the FCT minister had visited the site after officials of the Department of Development Control were allegedly chased away by armed soldiers acting on the orders of a retired senior naval officer.

Speaking to journalists after the encounter, Wike condemned what he described as an act of lawlessness, insisting that the individual behind the property failed to provide proper documentation for the land.

“I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position cannot approach my office to say, ‘Look, this is what is going on’. But simply because he’s a military man, he thinks he can use that to intimidate Nigerians. I am not one of those who will succumb to blackmail or intimidation,” Wike said.

“The director of development control said, ‘Bring the documents.’ They don’t have them. ‘Bring approval for building’; they don’t have it. How can we continue to allow lawlessness to prevail? What about those who don’t have the military behind them? What about ordinary Nigerians?” he added.

Sources revealed that the disputed land is linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd), who reportedly acquired the property in 2020.

Born on April 22, 1966, in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, Gambo is an underwater warfare specialist with a background in intelligence. He began his military journey at the Nigerian Defence Academy as part of the 36 Regular Course in 1984 and was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in 1989.

Gambo, who holds postgraduate and master’s degrees in transport management from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), has served in various high-profile roles, including Director of Search and Rescue at Defence Headquarters and Chief of Naval Training Command.

Appointed Chief of Naval Staff by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021, Gambo was known for his strong stance against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes. He was replaced by Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla in June 2023 after President Bola Tinubu reshuffled the service chiefs.

The clash between Wike and the naval officer has since sparked nationwide debate on the limits of military involvement in civil matters and the rule of law in land administration within the FCT.