Retired Officers Demand Wike’s Removal Over Clash With Naval Officer

Retired Officers Demand Wike’s Removal After Clash With Naval Officer.
Coalition urges Tinubu to sack or redeploy the FCT minister immediately.
Veterans threaten protests if presidency fails to act on their demands.

A coalition of retired military officers on Friday criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his confrontation with a young naval officer, describing the minister’s conduct as demeaning, unacceptable and a direct insult to the Armed Forces and the Commander in Chief.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the group, made up of retired generals and senior officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force, addressed journalists in Kaduna and urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack or redeploy the minister over the incident captured in a viral video.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, a Board of Trustees member, Col Yusuf Ibrahim (retd.), said the exchange was embarrassing, especially Wike’s remark referring to the officer as a fool.

“We are taken aback that a public office holder could call an officer a fool on camera,” Ibrahim said.

He faulted Wike for confronting the officer publicly instead of raising his concerns through the Chief of Naval Staff, adding that such behaviour was unbecoming of a senior government official.

“If Wike was responsible, shouldn’t he have engaged the Chief of Naval Staff privately rather than trying to disgrace a very senior retired general? Who is Wike to behave in such a manner?” he asked.

Ibrahim insisted that the minister must apologise to the Nigerian Armed Forces, the young officer involved and President Tinubu.

Speaking in support, another leader of the coalition, Dr Awwal Abdullahi, who introduced himself as a Deputy Veteran Commander, accused Wike of consistently displaying hostility toward military personnel.

He said the minister’s conduct had raised concerns among retired security operatives across the country.

Abdullahi warned that if the President failed to act, the veterans would embark on sustained protest action to demand Wike’s removal.

“If the President refuses to sack Wike, we will mobilise and occupy the Ministry of FCT until he is removed,” he declared.

Sanctions For Officer With Wike — Retired Officers Demand Wike’s Removal

He added that the coalition represents the broader retired military community and maintained that removing the minister would not disrupt the current administration.