Former Chief of Army Staff and ex-Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), has demanded a public apology from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his recent confrontation with a military officer in Abuja.
Buratai, in a strongly worded statement shared on his verified Facebook page, described the incident as a “threat to national security and institutional integrity.”
The altercation reportedly occurred on November 11, 2025, when Wike engaged in a heated exchange with a soldier during a visit to a disputed piece of land in the Gaduwa District of the FCT. The land is said to be linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd).
According to Buratai, the minister’s verbal outburst against a uniformed officer was not only “profoundly undisciplined” but also undermined the chain of command and disrespected the authority of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline that strikes at the core of our nation’s command and control structure,” Buratai stated.
He further noted that Wike’s conduct “deliberately undermines the chain of command, disrespects the authority of the Commander-in-Chief, and grievously wounds the morale of every individual who serves under the Nigerian flag.”
The former Army Chief warned that the confrontation should not be dismissed as “political theatre,” describing it instead as “reckless endangerment of national order.”
Buratai insisted that Wike must offer an “immediate and unequivocal public apology” to President Tinubu, the Nigerian Armed Forces, and the officer involved in the altercation.
“Our nation’s security must come first. It is time for decisive action, not politics of military bashing. The integrity of our Armed Forces demands nothing less,” he added.