Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle says the Naval officer involved in a confrontation with Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), over a disputed parcel of land in Abuja, will not face any sanctions.
Matawalle gave the assurance in an interview with DCL Hausa, amid public speculation that the officer could be punished over the confrontation.
On Tuesday, Wike engaged in a heated exchange with a military officer at a site in Abuja.
Reacting to the development, Matawalle said the officer did nothing wrong and had acted within the limits of the law.
“What happened with the minister is not good. The FCT minister (Wike) was not supposed to approach the young officer like that,” he said.
“He is our colleague — even if there is an issue, he should have contacted us first.
“What the soldier did was correct because he was trained to follow due process. He acted respectfully and deserves appreciation for that.
“In military law, there is no punishment for that because he did the right thing by following due process and the law.
“If you notice, he spoke with respect, so there should be no punishment.
“When the minister met him, he should not have exchanged words with him, even just because of his uniform.
“Whoever wrongs a military officer, it’s as if they wronged the president, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
“Nothing will happen to that military man. It’s not about defending the military; as I said, we are following the law and order. The minister (Wike) knows that the officer has superiors.”
The former Zamfara governor noted that before addressing the issue, he confirmed with the chief of defence staff that an investigation was already underway.
“He made an inquiry before going there. The chief of defence staff told him to wait for investigation, but he refused and approached the soldiers directly,” Matawalle said.
“As a leader, he should have waited. Even the navy said they will conduct their own investigation.”
The minister said he has not received any official complaint from Wike regarding the incident, but had personally reached out to him after the video went viral.
“I called him yesterday after I saw the video. I told him he should have called me first, and he said he was told. I assured him I would investigate the issue,” Matawalle added.
