Former CDS Irabor Faults Public Reactions to Wike-Naval Officer Clash, Says Uniform Symbolizes State Power

The former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor (retd.), today, Thursday, November 13, 2025, weighed in on the raging controversy surrounding the confrontation between the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and a Naval officer, stating that the public’s reactions missed the fundamental point of the democratic structure.

Speaking at a security lecture in Lagos, General Irabor faulted the general public’s focus on the personalities involved, cautioning that many had failed to appreciate the deeper implications of the military uniform and the principle of civil authority.

“The reactions to the Wike saga have been flawed because people fail to understand the true symbol of the uniform,” Irabor asserted. He stressed that the uniform worn by the officer is not a personal attire but “a symbol of state power” and that any confrontation with an officer in uniform is, at its core, a confrontation with the Nigerian state and its established institutions.

Subordination of Military to Civil Authority

Despite highlighting the sanctity of the uniform, General Irabor’s commentary subtly steered the debate back to the democratic principle of the subordination of the military to civil authority. He reminded the audience that the FCT Minister exercises the constitutional powers of the President over land administration, making the Minister’s directive the final authority on matters of land-use compliance in the nation’s capital.

Irabor’s intervention comes days after the Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, vowed to protect any officer found to be on “lawful duty,” a statement that seemingly countered the strong legal opinions from constitutional experts who argued that the officer was acting illegally by guarding a private development site.

The former CDS concluded by appealing for a greater sense of professionalism from both the political class and the armed forces. He urged public officials to treat security personnel with dignity, while equally demanding that military personnel recognize that their allegiance is to the Nigerian state and the Constitution, not to private interests, regardless of the individual giving the order.