Tukur Buratai, former Chief of Army Staff, has backlashed at Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This comes after a face-off with military personnel over a disputed plot of land.
On Tuesday, videos surfaced online showing Wike in a heated argument with military personnel at a site in Abuja.
In a statement, Buratai said the incident poses a clear “threat to national security”. He also stated that such act requires an “immediate and serious response”.
“His public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces transcends mere misconduct. It represents a palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity,” the statement reads.
“A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline. It strikes at the core of our nation’s command and control structure.
“It 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.
“Such actions erode the very foundation of discipline upon which our national security apparatus stands.
“This cannot be dismissed as political theatre. It is a reckless endangerment of national order. This action by Wike is clearly an indication of undermining the federal government’s authority.”
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Furthermore, Buratai asked Wike to immediately issue an apology to President Bola Tinubu as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria, and the officer “whose honour was violated”.
“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,” Buratai said.
Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society organisations has raised concerns over possible conflict-of-interest issues involving some officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
They called on the National Assembly and anti-corruption agencies to urgently look into the matter to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s tax system ahead of the planned new tax regime.
The Coalition of Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organisations for Development (COCSOD) – uniting Integrity and Economic Probity For Transparency Initiative, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, Association of Media Practitioners in Oil and Gas Producing Areas, and Arewa Youth Alliance for Progress and Development – stormed the National Assembly with documents they claimed prove senior FIRS officials remain active shareholders and controllers in multiple businesses while drawing full-time public salaries.
The coalition, operating under the banner of the Coalition of Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organisations for Development (COCSOD), staged a peaceful demonstration in Abuja to press home its demands.
