Asari Dokubo Calls for Court-Martial of Naval Officer Who Confronted FCT Minister Wike Over Disputed Land

Former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, today, Wednesday, November 12, 2025, strongly condemned the recent confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a Naval officer, insisting that the military personnel involved should be immediately court-martialled.

The face-off occurred on Tuesday, when the Naval officer, identified as Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, and other military personnel blocked Minister Wike and officials of the FCT Administration from gaining access to a disputed plot of land at Plot 1946, Gaduwa District, Abuja, allegedly being developed illegally by a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (retd.).

In a video statement shared on his social media platform, Dokubo described the officer’s conduct as an act of defiance that cannot be tolerated in a constitutional democracy.

“I’m not taking sides with Wike; I’m taking sides with what is the law, the rule, and the convention,” Dokubo declared. “What happened yesterday, in any sane society, that person would be reprimanded and detained… In any sane society, that fellow ought to have been court-martialled.”

Minister is Chief Security Officer, Military is Subject to Law

Dokubo hinged his argument on the constitutional superiority of civil authority. He stressed that the Minister of the FCT operates in loco parentis for the President and Commander-in-Chief on land matters and, constitutionally, serves as the chief security officer of Abuja (second only to the President).

He asserted that the military officer, like all Nigerians, is “subject to the Constitution” and “is not above it,” noting the illegality of deploying serving military personnel to guard a private land dispute.

The public clash, which went viral, has drawn divided reactions. While Dokubo and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) have backed the minister’s lawful intent to enforce development control, the Coalition of Military Veterans has criticized Wike for verbally insulting the officer during the heated exchange, demanding an apology from the Minister for his language.

Nevertheless, Dokubo insisted that the issue transcends personal friction, emphasizing that the obstruction of a high-ranking public officer on official duty represents an “affront to the civil authority” that must be swiftly and firmly addressed by the military high command to prevent the normalization of such conduct.