BREAKING: Defence Minister Vows Protection for Navy Officer After Clash With Wike

Defence Minister has vowed protection for Navy Officer after clash with Wike.

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has pledged that the Ministry of Defence and the Military High Command will ensure the full protection of every soldier carrying out lawful duties, following the recent altercation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer.

Speaking during a ministerial press conference on the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Celebration at the National Defence College, Abuja, on Wednesday, Badaru assured that no officer performing his duty lawfully would be left unprotected.

ALSO: Over 600 Civil Society Groups Demand Wike’s Sack Over Verbal Assault on Naval Officer

The assurance comes in the wake of Tuesday’s confrontation between Wike and Navy Lieutenant A.M. Yerima over a disputed plot of land in Abuja reportedly linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (retd).

Badaru stated:

“At the Ministry, and indeed the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty. We are looking into this issue, and we assure that any officer on lawful duty will be highly protected. We will not allow anything to happen to him so long as he is doing his job—and he’s doing it well.”

The Defence Minister’s statement is seen as a strong response to mounting public outrage over Wike’s verbal assault on the naval officer, which many Nigerians and civil society groups have condemned as disrespectful and unbecoming of a public official.