The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has lauded Lt. AA Yerima for his composure during his face-off with the FCT minister.
The minister hailed the naval personnel while Speaking at a press briefing to commence activities for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the National Defence College, Abuja,
He said the ministry is investigating the matter, assuring that the Armed Forces would protect personnel carrying out lawful duties.
“At the ministry, and indeed the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty.
“We are looking into this issue and assure that any officer performing his duties lawfully will be highly protected. We will not allow anything to happen to him so long as he is doing his job, and he is doing it very well”, the minister said.
The stand-off between Wike and the officer followed a row over the ownership of a piece of land being guarded by some armed military officers led by Yerima, on the instruction of a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Zubairu Gambo (retd.).
Wike had alleged that the ex-CNS illegally took over the land.
