Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, has criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his denial of verbally abusing a naval officer during a confrontation at a disputed land site in Abuja.
The clash occurred on Tuesday, November 11, when Wike visited a property reportedly linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff. Naval Lieutenant A.M. Yerima and his team had been stationed at the site to protect workers, leading to a heated exchange between the minister and the officer.
In a video widely circulated online, Wike was heard shouting at Yerima: “Shut up your mouth, who does that? Will you keep quiet? Are you a big fool? You are a big fool.”
After public backlash, Wike, during a press briefing on Thursday, November 14, denied insulting the officer directly. He argued that his remarks were misinterpreted.
“Some people said I said the boy ‘you are a fool’. What I meant was this: you cannot be carrying out an illegal order. That is what I meant. I didn’t say ‘the military, you are a fool’,” he insisted.
Melaye, reacting to Wike’s explanation, mocked the minister on social media, saying: “With eleven microphones, he attempts a denial of what he said with no microphone. Spirit of error na shege.”
Watch the video below: